Tracking West Virginia's Stimulus Share

West Virginia has received its $210 million slice of the federal stimulus pie carved out for road and bridge projects, The Associated Press reports, citing releases from the state's congressional delegation.

But the list of 100+ projects slated to reap those funds, unveiled by Gov. Joe Manchin last week, is already being second-guessed by lawmakers, the Bluefield Daily-Telegraph reports.

Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, is leading the charge to strip $32 million now destined for Raleigh County's East Beckley Bypas and instead repair the West Virginia Turnpike with that money, the article said.

Area lawmakers also fault the list for failing to include projects benefitting the King Coal Highway or the Coalfields Expressway, the newspaper reports.

The Register-Herald of Beckley, meanwhile, quotes a Federal Highways Administration officials to report that West Virginia could "dip deeper into the Obama stimulus package and pull out as much as $100 million extra in highway cash."

While adding that a more realistic range would be between $30 million and $40 million, the article cites "a $1.5 billion account set aside for discretionary road upkeep and construction" that the state could tap.

Update: Putnam County officials "are upset they didn't get any federal stimulus money for road construction," The Charleston Gazette reports.