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WV House Votes to Abolish Turnpike Tolls by ’20
By: WOUB Contributing Writer
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Lawmakers are again seeking to remove pay tolls from the West Virginia Turnpike.
The House of Delegates voted 97-1 Wednesday to a measure that aims to abolish them by mid-2020.
The Turnpike's parent agency is scheduled to pay off bonds by then. The tolls have supplied revenues to pay off those financing debts. But critics fault the Parkways Authority continuing to issue new bonds after repaying the roadway's initial construction bonds.
Lawmakers representing the counties that host the 88-mile Turnpike have long cited the burden on residents there. While the Turnpike offers discount commuter passes, the regular rate ranges from $2 for passenger vehicles to $6.75 for large trucks.
The bill would transfer the Turnpike to the Division of Highways once the tolls end. The measure heads to the Senate.