The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) is the
state agency responsible for transportation in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
. The Department of Transportation serves an umbrella organization for seven subsidiary agencies which are directly responsible for different areas of the state's infrastructure.
Subsidiary agencies
Division of Highways
The West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) is the largest component of the Department of Transportation. It is responsible for almost all public roads in the state outside of incorporated municipalities. The Division of Highways was previously its own standalone agency, the Department of Highways, and was known as the State Road Commission until about the 1970s.
Division of Motor Vehicles
The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) handles vehicle registration and driver licensing for the state. In addition to its headquarters in
Charleston, it operates a network of 23 regional offices throughout West Virginia.
West Virginia Parkways Authority
The West Virginia Parkways Authority was created in 1989
e-WV , West Virginia Turnpike
Wvencyclopedia.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-24. as a successor to the West Virginia Turnpike Commission. The agency is tasked with operating the West Virginia Turnpike
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, an tolled stretch of Interstate 77 from Charleston to Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
. It was involved in the planned operation of a toll U.S. Route 35 in Mason and Putnam counties and the Mon-Fayette Expressway, however WV 43 was opened as a freeway and a possible toll US 35 completion was rejected by the Legislature in 2012.
The Parkways Authority used to be named the Parkways, Economic Development, and Tourism Authority. It participated in economic development programs, an activity that was curtailed under former governor Joe Manchin
Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a seat he has held since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Manchin was the 34th governor o ...
. It continues to operate Tamarack, Best of West Virginia, an arts and crafts center near Beckley, pending its transfer to the West Virginia Department of Commerce
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bu ...
.
State Rail Authority
The State Rail Authority was formed to assume ownership of rail lines that were planned for abandonment by their original operators. It directly operates the South Branch Valley Railroad
The South Branch Valley Railroad is a railroad in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The branch line, which parallels the South Branch Potomac River, runs north from Petersburg to Green Spring, where it connects to the national rail net ...
, a former Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
line between Green Spring and Petersburg.
The authority also owns the West Virginia Central Railroad
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well ...
, consisting of near Elkins. The West Virginia Central is operated by a private company, the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad
The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well ...
.
Other State Rail Authority duties include promoting tourist and short-line railroads, operating three MARC Marc or MARC may refer to:
People
* Marc (given name), people with the first name
* Marc (surname), people with the family name
Acronyms
* MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging,
* MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...
train stations in the Eastern Panhandle
The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia; the other is the Northern Panhandle. It is a small stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Some sources ...
, and helping to preserve or railbank
Railbanking is the act of preserving railroad rights-of-way for possible future use. Railbanking leaves the rail corridor, railbed, bridges or bridge right-of-way, and other infrastructure intact. This relieves the railroad's operator from the re ...
lines targeted for abandonment.
Division of Public Transit
The West Virginia Division of Public Transit helps assist public transit
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...
agencies in the state.
Public Port Authority
The Public Port Authority helps to develop and market ports and intermodal facilities in the state.
Aeronautics Commission
The West Virginia Aeronautics Commission helps to develop and fund air infrastructure projects in West Virginia.
References
{{authority control
State departments of transportation of the United States
State agencies of West Virginia