KEYSER - Congressman David McKinley met with Carpendale mayor Butch Armentrout and others Tuesday morning to discuss progress in the proposed construction of a bridge between the town and Bowling Green, Maryland.
By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER - Congressman David McKinley met with Carpendale mayor Butch Armentrout and others Tuesday morning to discuss progress in the proposed construction of a bridge between the town and Bowling Green, Maryland.
Calling the bridge a necessity for economic development in that portion of the county, McKinley told the News Tribune following the meeting that a bridge would assist in “opening up 100 acres for development” and therefore help to create more jobs.
Kingsford Charcoal, which is difficult to access because there is only one road into Carpendale through Ridgeley, would benefit greatly from a bridge that would connect trucks directly to Route 220 in Maryland.
The bridge, McKinley said, could mean the difference in keeping Kingsford in Mineral County.
Safety also factors into the need for a bridge, however, as that single road into Carpendale can also be a problem in times of emergency.
A quicker response time by fire and rescue units means a better quality of life for the residents of the town, he said.
McKinley expressed his frustration that things haven’t been moving more quickly in the bi-state project.
“It’s not an expensive bridge,” he said, adding, however, that the problem could be simply “bureaucracy.”
Following McKinley’s stop in the News Tribune office, he met with representatives of Mineral County Schools and Potomac State College over lunch, then met with several business leaders at Automated Packaging.
The visit was part of what McKinley calls his “listening tours” to give his constituents the opportunity to express their concerns with their representative in federal government.