Sep 29, 2002 By Amy Karpinsky 3 min read

A suggestion by a state Department of Transportation engineer that Pennsylvania pay for the construction of four miles of the Mon/Fayette Expressway in West Virginia may not be legally possible. At a recent meeting of the Fayette County Transportation Alliance, PennDOT engineer Mike Dufalla suggested that if Pennsylvania were to build the road and collect money from tollbooths until the costs were recouped, the expressway could then be turned over to West Virginia.

Dufalla said he made the suggestion because West Virginia is having a hard time coming up with the additional $65 million needed to complete its section of the expressway.

“I think it’s important to look at different and creative ways to fund the project. Now we are at the

mercy of West Virginia,” Dufalla said.

He acknowledged that taking that creative of an approach is “thinking out of the box,” and

he didn’t know if it would be possible.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is in charge of the toll road project in Pennsylvania. West Virginia officials have decided that their section will not be a toll road.

When completed, the entire expressway will stretch from Interstate 68 in West Virginia north to Pittsburgh. Several sections have been completed. If funding is secured, construction on the Uniontown-to-Brownsville section could begin in 2005.

Frank Kempf Jr., assistant chief engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and co-chairman of the Mon/Fayette Expressway executive committee, said Dufalla’s suggestion is “problematic,” because the enabling legislation permits the turnpike commission to operate only in Pennsylvania.

Kempf said he isn’t sure how long it would take to make enough money with tollbooths to repay Pennsylvania.

“I don’t know how we would make out in that deal,” he said. “It would be unprecedented.”

As another way to move the West Virginia link forward, Kempf suggested that Fayette County representatives could convince West Virginia officials of the importance of the road to their state. He said that approach has been effective in the past.

Fayette County Commission Chairman Vincent A. Vicites recently sent a second letter to West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, stressing the importance of completing the road.

“The continuation of the highway is important to both West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This project will provide access for both tourists and individuals working along this corridor,” Vicites wrote.

Vicites said he wants to set up a meeting with elected officials in West Virginia to discuss the issue. Noting that former West Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood was a strong backer of the project, Vicites said completion of the four miles in West Virginia is vital to the economic future of Fayette County.

Jim Marzullo, chairman of the Fayette Expressway Completion Organization, (FAECO), is also working to establish a solution to find funding and a commitment for the missing West Virginia link.

Marzullo said Uniontown businessman Donald Miller has set up a meeting with Dave Yoder, a West Virginia representative to the executive committee of the Mon/Fayette Expressway. Vicites will attend that meeting, as well.

Marzullo said they will try to figure out a course of action to get U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) more involved in securing funding.

“We’re trying to lay the groundwork for communication,” Marzullo said.