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Turnpike tolls paying off: Increased interstate revenue leading to more road projects getting started in West Virginia

By Charles Boothe, Bluefield Daily Telegraph

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The increase in turnpike tolls and a new annual E-ZPass for passenger cars implemented more than two years ago is paying off in bond sales that are allowing road projects to proceed, including the extension of the Coalfields Expressway from Pineville to Welch.

That extension will finally bring a four-lane highway into McDowell County.

Gov. Jim Justice made the announcement last week about the West Virginia Turnpike Parkways Authority bond sale, which netted a total of $423 million, $90 million more than expected because of a favorable response from investors.

Jeffery Miller, executive director of the turnpike authority, said the revenue is a result of the success of the turnpike fee restructuring plan initiated as part of Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program.

Those changes included raising tolls from $2 to $4 for passenger cars at each of the three toll plazas as well as increase fees for commercial vehicles. However, a new E-ZPass plan was also implemented which allows motorists to purchase an unlimited use pass for $25 a year…

To read more: https://www.bdtonline.com/news/turnpike-tolls-paying-off-increased-interstate-revenue-leading-to-more-road-projects-getting-started/article_6a7e6b12-d879-11eb-a72b-e79732c10e14.html

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