The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) is the

state agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

responsible for transportation in the U.S. state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. The Department of Transportation serves an umbrella organization for four subsidiary agencies which are directly responsible for different areas of the state's infrastructure.

Subsidiary agencies

Division of Highways

The West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) is the largest component of the Department of Transportation. It is responsible for almost all public roads in the state outside of incorporated municipalities. The Division of Highways was previously its own standalone agency, the Department of Highways, and was known as the State Road Commission until about the 1970s.

Division of Motor Vehicles

The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) handles vehicle registration and driver licensing for the state. In addition to its headquarters in Charleston, it operates a network of 23 regional offices throughout West Virginia.

West Virginia Parkways Authority

The West Virginia Parkways Authority was created in 1989e-WV , West Virginia Turnpike
Wvencyclopedia.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-24. as a successor to the West Virginia Turnpike Commission. The agency is tasked with operating the

West Virginia Turnpike Interstate 77 (I-77) in the US state of West Virginia is a major north–south Interstate Highway. It extends for between Bluefield, West Virginia, Bluefield at the Virginia state line and Williamstown, West Virginia, Williamstown at the ...

, an tolled stretch of

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

from Charleston to

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. It was involved in the planned operation of a toll

U.S. Route 35 U.S. Route 35 (US 35) is a United States Highway that runs southeast-northwest for approximately from the western suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia to northern Indiana. Although the highway is physically southeast-northwest, it is nomi ...

in Mason and Putnam counties and the Mon-Fayette Expressway, however WV 43 was opened as a freeway and a possible toll US 35 completion was rejected by the Legislature in 2012. The Parkways Authority used to be named the Parkways, Economic Development, and Tourism Authority. It participated in economic development programs, an activity that was curtailed under former governor

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...

. It continues to operate Tamarack, Best of West Virginia, an arts and crafts center near Beckley, pending its transfer to the West Virginia Department of Commerce.

Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities

The Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities was created in 2022 and is tasked with operating the State Rail Authority, Division of Public Transit, Public Port Authority, and Aeronautics Commission.

State Rail Authority

The State Rail Authority was formed to assume ownership of rail lines that were planned for abandonment by their original operators. It directly operates the

South Branch Valley Railroad The South Branch Valley Railroad is a railroad in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The branch line, which parallels the South Branch Potomac River, runs north from Petersburg, West Virginia, Petersburg to Green Spring, West Virginia, Gre ...

, a former

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie ...

line between Green Spring and Petersburg. The authority also owns the

West Virginia Central Railroad The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well as ...

, consisting of near Elkins. The West Virginia Central is operated by a private company, the

Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad The Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is a heritage and freight railroad in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It operates the West Virginia State Rail Authority-owned Durbin Railroad and West Virginia Central Railroad , as well as ...

. Other State Rail Authority duties include promoting tourist and short-line railroads, operating three

MARC Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system ...

train stations in the Eastern Panhandle, and helping to preserve or

railbank Railbanking is the practice of preserving Rail transport, rail Right-of-way (property access), corridors for possible future use. Railbanking leaves the railroad, railbed, bridges or bridge corridor, and other infrastructure intact. This relieves ...

lines targeted for abandonment.

Division of Public Transit

The Division of Public Transit helps assist

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

agencies in the state.

Public Port Authority

The Public Port Authority helps to develop and market ports and intermodal facilities in the state.

Aeronautics Commission

The Aeronautics Commission helps to develop and fund air infrastructure projects in West Virginia.

References

{{authority control State departments of transportation of the United States State agencies of West Virginia