Those who travel the West Virginia Turnpike have gotten used to paying fluctuating tolls over the past few decades, but those tolls may be eliminated.
Greg Barr, executive director of the West Virginia Parkways and Economic Development Authority, told a legislative interim committee July 24 that bonds taken out to pay for the construction and routine maintenance of the 88-mile stretch of road should be paid off by 2019, meaning the toll could be lifted. But, he pointed out the state would have to come up with some other way to fund operation and maintenance.
"If Turnpike tolls are eliminated, the Division of Highways would be faced with funding … one of the heaviest used sections of Interstate in West Virginia," Barr told the Select Committee on Infrastructure.
"If tolls are eliminated after repayment of bonds in 2019, we would lose $82 million in tolls annually … and the burden would shift to state taxpayers."
But the southern part of the state is essentially paying a "double tax," according to Delegate Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer. Gearheart told the committee that anyone who travels from Southern West Virginia north to Charleston must pay to use the road.
"Quite frankly, every one of us who wants to come to the capitol, either to see the governor or go to a ball game, bears that cost," he said.
And businesses are growing tired of the toll as well, said Mark Meachum, executive director of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.
"Being the southernmost county, we of course have probably been the most adversely affected by the Turnpike over the years," Meachum told the committee. "We have been more affected by the tolls and our business community has bee affected by the tolls more than any other part of the state."
Barr said if the tolls were discontinued after 2019, the state would be hard pressed to find ways to fund the road. Tolls bring in $82 million annually, but it costs more than that for maintenance and operation, in addition to funding payrolls for 355 full- and part-time employees who draw state benefits. Most of those tolls, Barr said, come from out-of-state travelers.
"One of the most important statistics I want to impress you with is 76 percent of all Turnpike revenue comes from out-of-state passenger cars and out-of-state commercial vehicles," Barr told the committee.
So how will the road be funded and maintained sans tolls? Barr had a one suggestion, but admitted it may not work.
"I think increasing the gas tax is possibly one, but it seems to be a dying way to fund roads because cars are getting more fuel efficient," he said.
But according to Meachum, Southern West Virginia business leaders want the tolls gone or would like to see it done, "on an equitable basis across the state, if it is done at all." He said tolling roads is not the answer.
"There are complicated ways we'll need to figure out how to pay for highways in this country, period," he said.
Gearheart said the tolls have achieved their original purpose – to pay for the construction of the highway and its time West Virginia pays for its highways "the same way everyone else does."
"If we want commerce to flourish in Southern West Virginia … if we want to remove this restrictor plate on our economy, these tolls have got to go," he said. "We built the highway. At this point in time, the highway has been built and its time for those tolls to be removed."
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