The West Virginia Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to report a package of concurrent resolutions to the full Senate with the recommendation that they be adopted, including several memorial bridge and road namings and a resolution urging the Division of Highways to make completion of I‑73 (the King Coal Highway) a high‑priority project.

Josiah Wink, a legislative intern, presented the resolutions and told the committee they honor soldiers killed in the line of duty and veterans awarded the Bronze Star. "These resolutions request that the division of highways honor these fallen soldiers and noble veterans for their sacrifices," Wink said.

Resolutions before the committee included: Senate Concurrent Resolution 6; Committee Substitute for Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 (the Beckler Brothers Eugene and Kermit Beckler Memorial Bridge in Grant County); Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 (the U.S. Army Specialist Johnny Long Memorial Bridge in Boone County); Committee Substitute for Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 (a memorial bridge in Marion County); Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 8 (the U.S. Army Private First Class Lester E. Maynard Memorial Bridge in Logan County); Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 9 (the U.S. Army Private Robert S. Pomeroy Memorial Bridge in Kanawha County); Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 10 (a memorial road for Private First Class Robert Thomas Taylor); Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 27 (a road naming in Mineral County honoring Brigadier General Edmund Francis); and Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 78, which requests that the Division of Highways make completion of I‑73, the King Coal Highway, a high‑priority project covering Wayne, Mingo, McDowell, Mercer and Wyoming counties.

Senator from Randolph, noting that Travis Long (son of Specialist Johnny Long) was in the committee room, thanked the family for attending: "We would like to thank you for the service, of your father." Senator Mingo spoke in support of HCR 78 and urged action on the King Coal Highway: "The King Cole Highway has been completed in pieces. The pieces are falling apart. It's past time to get this done." (Committee transcript uses "King Cole" in places; the widely used name for the corridor is the King Coal Highway.)

The committee handled several resolutions simultaneously through unanimous consent and agreed committee substitutes for two Senate concurrent resolutions. Vice Chair Stephen Taylor moved that the listed resolutions and committee substitutes be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that they be adopted. The motion was adopted by voice vote; the committee record does not contain a roll‑call tally.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Concurrent Resolution 6 — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 (Beckler Brothers Eugene and Kermit Beckler Memorial Bridge, Grant County) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 (U.S. Army Specialist Johnny Long Memorial Bridge, Boone County) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 8 (U.S. Army Private First Class Lester E. Maynard Memorial Bridge, Logan County) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted, amendment to Seventh Whereas Clause added as recorded).
- Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 9 (U.S. Army Private Robert S. Pomeroy Memorial Bridge, Kanawha County) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 10 (Private First Class Robert Thomas Taylor Memorial Road) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 27 (road naming in Mineral County honoring Brigadier General Edmund Francis) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).
- Committee Substitute for House Concurrent Resolution 78 (I‑73/King Coal Highway priority) — reported with recommendation to adopt (motion by Vice Chair Stephen Taylor; voice vote adopted).

Committee members praised the intern who presented the background material and thanked families of the veterans for attending. Several members emphasized the regional transportation importance of completing I‑73 and the need to coordinate further work with the Division of Highways.

The committee will send the reported resolutions to the full Senate for consideration.