First meeting regarding Turnpike changes to be Thursday

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The first meeting regarding toll changes on the West Virginia Turnpike will be held Thursday at Riverside High School in Quincy.

The changes include increasing the cash fee from $2 for a passenger vehicle to $4 per passenger vehicle beginning in January 2019. In addition, a Single Fee Discount Program will be offered through December, allowing drivers to pay $24 to use the tolls over three years. An annual pass of $25 will be offered beginning January 2019.

Bonds are expected to be issued in later July to fund road construction in 10 southern West Virginia counties. The money from the toll increase will finance more than $300 million worth of bonds, which will be paid off over 30 years.

West Virginia Parkways Authority General Manager Gregg Barr said Thursday’s meeting will include multiple workstations with charts explaining the new toll schedule, program and bonds.

“I’m going to give a brief overview of what we’re doing here, why we’re there and what we’re trying to explain to everyone,” he said. “I’ll have an idea of some of the most frequent questions that have come up during the work sessions and maybe comment on those briefly.”

The meeting goes from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.