CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Parkways Authority saw near-record numbers of travelers on the West Virginia Turnpike over the Labor Day weekend.
Between Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 and Monday, Sept. 6, 418,776 vehicles passed through Turnpike toll plazas, up about 4 percent compared with the same time last year.
“The West Virginia Turnpike was well-prepared for Labor Day travel,” said Parkways Authority Executive Director Jeff Miller. "Our toll booth workers take customer service seriously, and they're always ready to keep things going smoothly for the public."
The West Virginia Department of Transportation has made significant investments in the Turnpike over the past couple of years, with paving and maintenance projects to keep the road surface smooth. In a partnership with West Virginia Tourism, the toll booths were recently wrapped with scenic photographs reminding travlers that West Virginia is both a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful place to call home.
The heaviest travel days were Friday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 6, when 245,896 vehicles passed through toll plazas. “That’s about 40,000 cars a day more than average,” Miller said. Heavier-than-usual commercial truck traffic made up much of the increase.
Turnpike traffic was also up for the entire week preceding Labor Day. A total of 758,370 vehicles went through the Turnpike from Monday, Aug. 30 through Monday, Sept. 6, about 3 percent more than the same period in 2019 and up over 2020 counts.
The Labor Day weekend travel record was set in 2018, when 484,956 vehicles passed through Turnpike toll booths.