West Virginia Code 17-27-1 – Legislative findings and purposes
The Legislature finds and declares:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 17-27-1
- Qualifying transportation facility: means one or more transportation facilities acquired, constructed or improved by a private entity pursuant to this article. See West Virginia Code 17-27-2
- State: means the State of West Virginia. See West Virginia Code 17-27-2
- Transportation facility: means any public inland waterway port facility, road, bridge, tunnel, overpass or existing airport used for the transportation of persons or goods, and the structures, equipment, facilities or improvements necessary or incident thereto. See West Virginia Code 17-27-2
(1) That there is a public need for timely acquisition or construction of and improvements to transportation facilities within the state that are compatible with state and local transportation plans;
(2) That public need may not be wholly satisfied by existing ways in which transportation facilities are acquired, constructed or improved;
(3) That authorizing private entities to acquire, construct or improve one or more transportation facilities may result in the availability of transportation facilities to the public in a more timely or less costly manner, thereby serving the public health, safety, convenience and welfare and the enhancement of the residential, agricultural, recreational, economic, commercial and industrial opportunities;
(4) That providing a mechanism for the solicitation, receipt and consideration of proposals submitted by private entities for the purposes described in this section serves the public purpose of this article to the extent that the action facilitates the timely acquisition or construction of or improvement to a qualifying transportation facility or the continued operation of a qualifying transportation facility; and
(5) That providing for the expansion and acceleration of transportation financing using innovative financing mechanisms, including, but not limited to, design-build contracting and financing arrangements, will add to the convenience of the public and allow public and private entities to have the greatest possible flexibility in contracting with each other for the provision of the public services which are the subject of this article.