Agency overview | |
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Preceding agencies |
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Jurisdiction | The state of West Virginia |
Headquarters | State Capitol Complex - Building 5, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, West Virginia 25305 |
Agency executive |
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Website | www.transportation.wv.gov |
The West Virginia Department of Transportation is the state agency responsible for transportation in West Virginia. The Department of Transportation serves an umbrella organization for seven subsidiary agencies which are directly responsible for different areas of the state's infrastructure.
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.
The West Virginia Parkways Authority was created in 1989 as a successor to the West Virginia Turnpike Commission. The agency is tasked with operating the West Virginia Turnpike, a 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.