MAN — US Congressman Nick Joe Rahall (Dem. WV) was honored for his work on behalf of the residents of Man at a special Route 10 Committee meeting Tuesday night.

Freda Napier discussed the facts and figures of how the new road to Man project had begun and progressed and said the committee wanted to show it's appreciation to supporters from Man to Washington.

Rev. Mike Pollard arrived late — with some very good news.

Pollard said the Committee had submitted a very competitive grant application for $88.6 million dollars for the state's share of the Economic Stimulus Package and that Gov. Manchin had moved New Route 10 up the list of priorities to number one. Pollard said there are over 20 other road projects on the list vying for $200 million in federal funds, but the new designation is something to give people hope.

Pollard said members of the Route 10 Committee wanted to honor Congressman Rahall for his assistance on making a new road a reality, as well as the community of Man itself.

Pollard said the community often didn't realize the sheer amount of good it has done by keeping projects like New Route 10 on the front burner with elected officials.

"And now, Route 10 has been designated as the number one priority on the list of state roads," Pollard said. "We about passed out when we heard that. We were what, number 31 on the list before that?"

Pollard said he feels the $88.6 million grant application has a good chance of approval even though the state has dozens of other projects. If approved the next phase of the project could be done in two years, Pollard noted.

"We may be able to drive from here to Three Mile Curve in 2012," Pollard said.

As for the current phase of the project which has been delayed for some time, Pollard was critical of lame excuses given by the state. He said the excuses will end on Sept. 15, when a bid will be approved to begin paving from the current section to the Rita Mall.

Pollard also thanked members of the Logan County Commission, the West Virginia Legislature and local elected officials for their support in the project over the years. Freda Napier said without the support of all the people present at the meeting the Route 10 project would not have been possible.

"It takes all of us to get this done," she said, noting public support was vitally important.

Napier showed a documentary produced by Southern West Virginia Community Technical College featuring survivors of accidents on Route 10 talking about their experiences.

"It's the original video we did ten years ago to get this project started," she explained.

The video noted about 15,000 vehicles drive on the narrow, twisty, curving road daily which has a 100 foot drop off point and several jagged cliffs. It was built at the turn of the century before large school buses, coal trucks and 18 wheelers were common place and was not designed for the current amount of traffic it receives. In the spring of 1997 one section of the road collapsed and there have been numerous accidents ,some involving school buses, over the years on Route 10.

In the video, bus driver Jerry Fekete notes that at one point he drove a bus full of children over a section of the road that collapsed just two hours later. Months later a section in Lyburn fell. Lawman Ray Bryant noted that one time he called for backup in a shooting incident and by the time the State Police and Deputies were able to get near Man he already had a suspect in custody and passed them on the road as he headed towards Logan.

"They could have been there in eight to ten minutes if we had a good road," Bryant said on the video. Ironically Bryant was standing a few feet away from Congressman Rahall as the documentary was shown.

"That was made in 1997 and what was true back then is still true today," Freda Napier said, noting that buses and coal trucks still encounter each other on the road almost daily.

Napier said in 1997 the residents of Man decided they wanted the road widened to make it safer.

"The state told us it would have to be replaced by a four-lane road," she said. "We talked to Nick Rahall and he had Route 10 designated as a connector road, making it eligible for federal funding. Congressman, I thank you for that."

In 1997, Gov. Cecil Underwood got the ball rolling by appropriating $10 million in seed money as state matching funds to obtain earmarked federal funds obtained by Congressman Rahall and Senator Robert C. Byrd.

"Today, we have 1.9 miles of road we have been driving on," Napier quipped, joking about what visitors from New York may think when they see the four lane leaving man and realize it only extends over a mile.

"That's where we are now, but we also have 4.9 miles under construction from Man to Rita Mall," she said, noting that section is fully funded, but that there have been a lot of lame excuses as tow hey it had not been paved yet. "Now we have been told they will start paving this fall, maybe and we will be driving on it next spring....and it has only taken the state ten and a half years to do it."

Napier explained that when the federal government earmarks funds for projects the state has to provide a 20 percent match in funding to get it.

"So we hound people to get money earmarked," Napier quipped.

The actual design of the road is complete and funding is there for about half of the project to date. However there is no funding in place for the next section from Rum Creek to Logan, Napier explained. Mike Pollard said the state will start the process of obtaining right of way for the next phase of the project. The Rum Creek phase will see construction begin in Rum Creek and work its' way back towards Man.

Napier said years of letters of support were presented to Gov. Manchin and the DOH officials and were both helpful and appreciated. She also spoke about how the $88.6 million grant application came about and the assistance the state gave with it.

"A week ago on Thursday I got a call from Mr. Pennington at the DOH, who said he had the grant application," she said. "The state is asking for $88 million to complete the section to Dabney (Rum Creek).

Hatfield-McCoy Executive Director Jeff Lusk recently told Napier that the trails will sell 30 thousand permits to riders this year, 91 percent of whom are from out of state.

"That means we are a tourism designation and people from out of state are coming here. And they are used to four lane roads," Napier said.

Patty Roach talked about the project and Congressman Rahalls' record on supporting the project and other important transportation and infrastructure projects.

"I had three o r four pages of notes I just tossed because the ladies said it all," Rahall quipped when he got to the podium. The Congressman spoke about the history of the project, how funding was obtained for it and the future of the new Route 10 project. Rahall also answered questions about Route 10 and proposed healthcare reforms.