Have you ever heard of using property taxes to fund highway construction and maintenance? Neither have most people, but in West Virginia, it’s a new possibility.

According to the West Virginia Highway Commissioner’s office, the funding picture in the state is so bleak, they need to come up with some unique alternatives to fuel taxes.

The Charleston Gazette quotes Commissioner Paul Mattox as saying, at today’s level of funding, it would take the state 150 years to complete the highway work that’s already on the books.

Mattox said one possibility would be to use half of any property tax increases on developments along new highways to help pay for those highways, the Gazette reported.