west virginia turnpike

Is the West Virginia Turnpike getting a mere "facelift" as some local reporters termed it, or is it being rebuilt. We had a bit of a slanging match via email with a local reporter who'd headlined and led his piece with the term "facelift" then casually mentioned mid-report what amounted to a total rebuild of WV Turnpike pavement to bare earth.

TransCore which installed the original electronic toll system on the West Virginia Turnpike in 1999 has been selected to do an upgrade. The RFP issued in December called for some new toll collection equipment, a new customer account management and violation processing system and system maintenance.

According to Shelley Clay, purchasing director at the Turnpike prices were:

- TransCore $9,066,614

- ACS $10,500,175

WEST VIRGINIA PARKWAYS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM AUTHORITY (PAID ADVERTISEMENT)


REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The West Virginia Parkways Economic Development and Tourism Authority will receive sealed proposals for the following:

TOLL SYSTEM UPGRADE

West Virginia Turnpike will be posting an RFP for a new toll system to their website Thursday. In a preview the Turnpike's general manager Greg Barr told us they badly need a new system, both to maintain and improve service to motorists. The present toll system was installed by TransCore 1999-2000 when E-ZPass electronic tolling was begun.

Good police work on the West Virginia Turnpike allowed a trio of politicians to stage a publicity generating protest against toll increases while preventing threatened obstruction.

A West Virginia politician Delegate John Shott (Repub, Mercer) thinks his constituents need help to work out how to avoid toll points on the West Virginia Turnpike. He has spelled out in exquisite detail to the local Bluefield Daily Telegraph newspaper (July 18) what he calls a "100 percent discount" toll plan.

Shott's description of one of three toll plaza bypass moves needed for the Shott 100 percent Turnpike Discount plan:

West Virginia Turnpike Authority's board voted unanimously today (Wed 2009-07-01) to raise tolls effective August 1. The increases will be the first since 1981, and are designed to increase toll revenue by about $20m/year - from $53.3m to $73.1m or 37% in 2010, the first full year they are in effect.

West Virginia's leading Republican state senator Don Caruth is denouncing the Turnpike authority for meeting in Charleston at the western end of the Turnpike saying people in the eastern part in Beckley and Bluefield are insulted and "outraged," because it was so difficult for them to attend.

Boys aged 13 and 14 have been charged with throwing stuff at vehicles on the West Virginia Turnpike. They were apprehended after about 25 incidents were reported over the last two weeks between the North Beckley and Tamarack interchanges.

There were similar incidents in Feb and March 2006 the AP reports. Boys 14 to 16 were caught then in the same area.

West Virginia pols must be among the country's most shameless favor traders to do business in any state Capitol. Loud in their denunciations of the state's Turnpike authority for the condition of the Turnpike, and louder against any move to raise tolls - they've remained the same in depreciating dollars since 1981 - they nevertheless continue to find inventive new off-road uses for the Turnpike's revenues.