West Virginia Department of Transportation

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.

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.[1]

The West Virginia Parkways Authority was created in 1989[2] as a successor to the West Virginia Turnpike Commission. The agency is tasked with operating the West Virginia Turnpike, an 88-mile (142 km) tolled stretch of Interstate 77 from Charleston to Princeton. 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. 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.

The Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities was created in 2022 and is tasked with operating the State Rail Authority, Division of Public Transit, Public Port Authority, and Aeronautics Commission.

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, a former 52-mile (84 km) Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line between Green Spring and Petersburg.

The authority also owns the West Virginia Central Railroad, consisting of 132 miles (212 km) near Elkins. The West Virginia Central is operated by a private company, the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad.

Other State Rail Authority duties include promoting tourist and short-line railroads, operating three MARC train stations in the Eastern Panhandle, and helping to preserve or railbank lines targeted for abandonment.[3]

The Division of Public Transit helps assist public transit agencies in the state.

The Public Port Authority helps to develop and market ports and intermodal facilities in the state.

The Aeronautics Commission helps to develop and fund air infrastructure projects in West Virginia.