The Senate of West Virginia Charleston Sart Camm, Roca W229 1900 Kaxswin Bus, Easy CCuantasv0x, WY 25805-0800 30357-7918 ‘Wunuas J Tauexrenp I Sriit Sexson Isr Senora. Disucr January 17, 2020 Byrd White, Secretary WV Department of Transportation, Bldg. 5 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East Charleston, WV 25305 RE: Route 2 in New Cumberland Dear Secretary White, I'm writing in regard to the Route 2 project in New Cumberland that has been under consideration for many years and that's finally ready for action. We learned this week that the public overwhelmingly supports Alternative 5A as the path to be taken. Pursuing this option ‘would make the bottleneck go away, keep heavy truck traffic off the ridge, and open the northern part of the county to large freight, allowing for new industries to locate there. It’s clear that the citizens see the safety and economic benefits that this option will bring. Mr. Secretary, | ask that you choose Alternative SA and get this project underway as soon as possible. The public meeting has been held, the environmental work performed, and the money is on the books. Business leaders believe that the re-routing of Route 2 will lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment. Moreover, in 2017, Governor Justice promised that this work would be done. The citizens of Hancock County deserve for this to be a priority project and | hope that you will make it one in 2020. WL wai/stb cc: Hancock County Commission WILLA AHLEN ETL D@wvsENATE.GOV