BECKLEY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – If you have traveled on the West Virginia Turnpike recently, you may notice there’s not as many places to stop.
On Tuesday, May 28, Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 1002 outside the Tamarack Marketplace, and other state officials gave an update on the rest area construction.
The bill allocates $150 million toward statewide highway projects.
Jeff Miller, director of West Virginia Parkways, said the improvements to the rest areas will bring back the travel experience people had in the 1950s and 60s.
“We took a hard look at what people want,” Miller said, adding they wanted to make a beautiful design and make the travel stops more modern.
Miller said 80 percent of the 36.5 million transactions on the turnpike come from out-of-state travelers, and Justice praised Miller for his work on the improvements.
“They’re all stopping now at the travel plazas and they’re all getting a real look at West Virginia,” he said.
After the update on the rest area construction, Jimmy Wriston, the Secretary of West Virginia Transportation said, “None of the general revenue funds will be going to that project. The project that we’ll be working on will be paving the secondary roads.”
Justice signed the bill and said the funds will go exactly where West Virginians need it the most, “150 million dollars to continue this momentum, continue this wave we’re sitting on the top of and riding, and boy is it fun,” he said.
State officials are hopeful the rest area construction on the turnpike will be completed by the end of the year.
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It’s safe to say that West Virginia currently has momentum on the recruiting trail.
The Mountaineers have added eleven commitments since the start of June with the 2025 recruiting class currently perched inside the top 25 according to the Rivals.com national rankings. And while that can change in a flash, the work done to even get to that point doesn’t happen overnight.
The West Virginia football program has landed a commitment from Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High 2025 spear Chris Fileppo.
Fileppo, 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, flipped his pledge to the Mountaineers from James Madison where he had been committed since April. The versatile athlete also held offers from Purdue, South Florida, Connecticut, Villanova, Monmouth and a number of others.
The Rivals.com two-star prospect received an offer from West Virginia in May and those efforts were spearheaded by secondary coach ShaDon Brown.
Fileppo made the trek to West Virginia over the weekend for an official visit and saw enough to end his recruitment by committing to the Mountaineers shortly after its conclusion.
Fileppo is set to play spear for West Virginia on defense, but also has the skill set where he could end up at free safety depending on how he continues to develop.
Fileppo represents the sixth commitment for West Virginia in the defensive backfield behind Tampa (Fla.) Gaither 2025 cornerback Serious Stinyard, Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork 2025 cornerback Elgin Sessions, Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal 2025 defensive back Terrance “Deuce” Edwards, Lakeland (Fla.) 2025 defensive back Sammy Etienne and Huntington (W.Va.) 2025 safety Zah Jackson.
He is the 18th commitment overall.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Fileppo and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Fileppo is a long rangy safety that has the frame to fill out even further. He is a sure tackler and has no reservations coming down into the box to spill ball carriers. He is equipped with the speed and athleticism to cover a lot of ground and his skill set is a good fit for what the program wants at the spear spot.
Fileppo plays both sides of the ball and creates separation as a wide receiver, showcasing his athleticism. He displays strong coverage skills and plays the game with a high IQ in the backend of the defense. He possesses good ball skills and shows the ability to track the football well to both make plays on it and deliver hits.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia continues to target versatility and length in the back end of the defense and Fileppo certainly possesses both of those traits. He has the size and skill set to move around to multiple positions but will likely start his career at either spear or possibly even the free safety spot.
This is a player that secondary coach ShaDon Brown targeted and was able to get him to campus in order to close the deal in his recruitment. The Mountaineers were also able to go into neighboring Pennsylvania to fill a need in the recruiting class and gives the program a safety that can move around to multiple positions.
Fileppo will step into a position where they will be seven scholarship players on the roster when he arrives on campus and with his ability to bounce around it opens doors for him to potentially challenge for early time.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia has hit the defensive backs hard in this cycle and while there are options out there, expect the Mountaineers to be selective if there are any additional prospects added to the class.
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Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh 2025 defensive end Elijah Crawford made his official visit to West Virginia over the weekend and left campus with a strong understanding of what the program is about.
Crawford, 6-foot-4, 265-pounds, had visited Morgantown before but this trip allowed him to really see the family dynamic and camaraderie within the program.
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