West Virginia could have another toll road as early as next year, the Bluefield (W.Va.) Daily Telegraph reported. The West Virginia section of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, a section of U.S. Rte. 35 and a section of U.S. Rte. 522 are being considered for future toll corridors, according to Paul Mattox, West Virginia’s transportation secretary.
West Virginia highway officials met last week with officials from Pennsylvania to discuss the Mon-Fayette Expressway, which is already a toll road for its 4 miles in Pennsylvania from its beginning near Morgantown to the West Virginia state line.
“Right now, the only existing toll road in West Virginia is the West Virginia Turnpike,” said Mattox. “But we are working on the Mon-Fayette corridor and U.S. 35. So as early as 2010, West Virginia could have another toll road.”
The West Virginia segment of the Mon-Fayette corridor should be opened by fall 2010.
Also proposed for tolling is a 14-mile section of U.S. Rte. 35 through Putnam and Mason counties. The commissions of the two counties have endorsed the tolling plan. The plan to place tolls on U.S. 522 has not yet received the support of the Morgan County Commission.
Like many states, West Virginia is straining to generate enough highway construction funds to meet the state’s needs.
“We are looking everywhere we can to find highway funds,” said Mattox. “But the core funding we get from highways and what is derived from the state road fund through taxes has been stagnant for a number of years. So we are looking at other ways to fund highway construction.”