BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Friday that $637,000 in federal and state grant funding has been awarded for five infrastructure projects in Beckley and the surrounding region aimed at improving pedestrian safety, accessibility and community connectivity.
Morrisey joined local leaders and community representatives in Uptown Beckley to announce the funding, which comes through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program and the Recreational Trails Program in partnership with local municipalities.
“Not all infrastructure is highways,” said Governor Morrisey. “Sometimes it’s a sidewalk that helps a child get to school safely. Sometimes it’s a revitalized Main Street that brings people back downtown. Those investments improve quality of life, strengthen local economies, and build the kind of communities where families want to live, work, and raise the next generation.”
The funding will support projects in Raleigh, Fayette and Summers counties, as well as Twin Falls Resort State Park.
The City of Beckley will receive $125,000 to begin the design and engineering phase for new downtown sidewalks along Main Street.
The Town of Fayetteville will receive a total of $387,500, including $325,000 to construct the Second Avenue Pedestrian Bridge connecting historically separated neighborhoods and an additional $62,500 for sidewalk improvements.
The City of Hinton was awarded $75,000 for the design phase of a sidewalk project extending from the intersection of Pleasant Street and Second Avenue west to Main and Washington streets.
Twin Falls Resort State Park will receive $50,000 to design a new paved quarter-mile nature trail near the park lodge to improve accessibility for older visitors, families with strollers and individuals with mobility challenges.
According to the governor’s office, the projects are intended to improve pedestrian safety, expand outdoor accessibility and support economic development throughout the region.
The announcement also highlighted broader economic activity across the state, noting that since October the Morrisey administration has secured $12.8 billion in private-sector investments projected to create more than 13,600 jobs statewide.
