West Virginia is reviewing the first year of a pilot program that uses private contractors for snow removal on select roads. Early results show significantly higher costs for contracted work, but supporters point to improved winter road conditions on critical routes.
West Virginia is taking a closer look at a pilot program that uses private contractors for snow removal on select state roads after its first year produced a significant difference in cost between contracted and state-operated work.
During a legislative interim meeting, West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary of Transportation and Commissioner of Highways Todd Rumbaugh shared first-year results from the two-year pilot program, established through House Bill 2960.
The program covers roads around major medical facilities in Morgantown and major routes leading into Preston County.
According to figures presented by Rumbaugh, contractors cleared approximately 150 miles of roadway at a cost of about $46,000 per mile during the first year. State Department of Transportation crews, by comparison, cleared approximately 1,700 miles at a cost of roughly $5,000 per mile.
A Different Kind of Snow Removal Operation
The comparison comes with an important caveat: the contracted routes represent a targeted portion of the state’s road network rather than a broad replacement of state snow-removal operations.
In Monongalia County, contractors cleared about 79 miles while state crews handled more than 667 miles. In Preston County, contractors covered approximately 77 miles compared with more than 1,160 miles handled by state crews.
The first year also came with limited contractor competition. Morgantown-based Anderson Excavating, LLC, was the only bidder for the initial contract.
That could change during the second year of the pilot.
Rumbaugh said multiple contractors have submitted bids for the second year, giving the state an opportunity to see whether increased competition affects the cost of contracted snow removal.
Cost Isn’t the Only Measure
While the cost-per-mile figures drew attention during the review, supporters of the pilot pointed to another measure: road conditions.
State Senator Mike Oliverio, who represents Monongalia County, said residents reported significant improvements in winter road conditions during the first year.
The pilot was designed in part to prioritize roads serving critical destinations, including major hospitals and the area around West Virginia University.
For those routes, keeping roads accessible isn’t simply a matter of convenience. Reliable snow and ice removal can affect whether medical employees can reach work, whether patients can access care and how safely people can travel during winter weather.
That creates an important question for agencies considering contracted snow and ice operations: How should the cost of contracted work be evaluated when the goal is to provide additional service on strategically important routes?
Year Two Could Provide More Answers
The second year of the pilot may offer a clearer picture of the program’s economics.
With multiple contractors bidding, West Virginia could see a different contract price than it did during the program’s first year. The state will also have another winter of operational experience to evaluate both performance and cost.
Rumbaugh has expressed support for the concept of using contractors for snow removal and said expanding the approach statewide could be beneficial if the state can afford it.
Whether the program continues after its second year, however, remains uncertain as West Virginia looks ahead to potentially tighter state revenues and changes to its road-maintenance budget.
For transportation agencies and municipalities evaluating public-private approaches to winter maintenance, West Virginia’s pilot will be worth watching. The program highlights both sides of the equation: the potential to add targeted snow-removal capacity and the challenge of making contracted operations financially competitive.
Source: MetroNews West Virginia, “Rumbaugh releases report card after first year of 2-year snow removal pilot program,” by Mike Nolting, Aug. 11, 2026.