Charleston-
On June 27, 2017, Governor Jim Justice
signed Senate Bill 1003 that authorizes the West Virginia Parkways Authority to
issue revenue bonds to finance road projects and use toll revenues to pay for
those bonds. Parkways Authority General
Manager Greg Barr said the first step in this process is to conduct a traffic
and revenue study to determine the level of tolls needed to sell bonds.
This new toll rate structure will include an annual single (flat) fee
for passenger vehicles using West Virginia E-ZPass. These passes will be available to anyone
regardless of residency and their purchase is voluntary. Mr. Barr stated
that, βThe Authority anticipates that the bonds will be sold and the new toll
rate structure, including the single fee for passenger cars, will be in place
by the end of this year. Much work will be needed to get to that point,
including public meetings in the four counties adjacent to the Turnpike.β
The new single fee plan will be used solely for unlimited use of the West
Virginia Turnpike or any other toll facilities that may be built in West
Virginia in the future. With this new
single fee plan, customers will continue to have the ability to add funds to
their account to use the E-ZPass transponder on other tolling facilities
throughout the country.
In the meantime, before the new single fee program and toll rate
structure become effective, customers can continue to sign up for WV E-ZPass
using the two passenger car discount plans that are currently available,
according to Mr. Barr.
In addition to the passage of Senate Bill 1003 regarding tolls, Governor
Jim Justice also signed a second bill, Senate Bill 1006, supporting his highway
financing and construction plan. These
two bills, combined with other roads measures that passed the WV Legislature,
could create 48,000 jobs in West Virginia, according to Governor Justice. The Governor has also stated that these bills
will support more than 500 shovel-ready projects throughout the state.
According
to Mr. Barr, the public should stay tuned for announcements that will provide
additional details in the upcoming months. Updated information will also
be posted to the website at www.wvturnpike.com.
For
assistance concerning E-ZPass, the WV Parkways Authority Customer Service
Center can be reached at 1-800-206-6222.
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