BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A couple of unfinished highways in southern West Virginia are among the targeted projects of the highly-discussed infrastructure bill in Washington.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) directly mentioned the Coalfields Expressway and King Coal Highway being on the list of statewide projects receiving federal funding if the bill is introduced and passed in Congress.

While some progress was recently made, Manchin says the completion of these highways was put off for far too long.

“Those two highways connecting, basically, all of West Virginia to a modern highway system is absolutely one of the highest priorities we have,” Manchin said.

In total, Manchin says at least $25 billion will approximately be needed to complete all construction and deferred maintenance on West Virginia’s roads and bridges. In addition to Coalfields and King Coal, this also includes the Route 2 expansion and Corridor H project in the eastern panhandle. Manchin explained accelerating the permitting process will be key for these projects to be completed in a reasonable amount of time.

As of April 22, 2021, Congress has not formally introduced a bill.