Interstate 77 in West Virginia: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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| length_ref = <ref name="fhwa">{{cite web |first = Kevin |last = Adderly |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |work = Route Log and Finder List |title = Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2018 |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |date = February 5, 2019 |access-date = March 1, 2019 |archive-date = July 3, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170703213613/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |url-status = live }}</ref>
| established = 19671958 (turnpike established 1954)
| history = Completed in 1974
| direction_a = South
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===Early years===
[[File:The Yeager Bridge on the West Virginia Turnpike (88733).jpg|thumb|right|Postcard view of the Yeager Bridge]]
In the [[Antebellum South|antebellum]] years before West Virginia separated from Virginia, development of adequate roads was a major area of conflict between the western regions and the east. Through the [[Virginia Board of Public Works]], the Virginia state government helped finance turnpikes among its programs to encourage [[internal improvements]], with tolls collected to defray operating costs and retire debt. Principal among these was the east–west [[Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike]], completed from [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]] to the [[Ohio River]] at [[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]] immediately prior to the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865).<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.richmountain.org/history/spt.html |title = Rich Mountain Battlefield History: Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike |website = www.richmountain.org |access-date = 2019-05-14 |archive-date = October 19, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201019230203/http://www.richmountain.org/history/spt.html |url-status = live }}</ref> However, many of the internal transportation improvements were destroyed during that conflict, leaving bonded debt still to be paid, even as additional progress had ended. After resolution by the [[US Supreme Court]], which assigned a third of the amount due to the new state early in the 20th century, West Virginia was faced with retiring its share of Virginia's antebellum debt for the earlier turnpikes (and canals and railroads) even as the citizens needed and sought better roads.{{cncitation needed|date=November 2022}}
With the completion of the earliest portion of the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] in 1940], the desire for such a superhighway in West Virginia took hold. By the midcenturymid 20th entry, in the years before creation of the [[Interstate Highway System]] in 1956, superhighways in the form of additional [[toll road]]s, such as the [[New Jersey Turnpike]] niin 1951 and the [[Ohio Turnpike]] and 1955, began stimulating economic development and enhancing transportation in the eastern US.{{cncitation needed|date=November 2022}} The challenge of terrain in West Virginia mirrored that of Pennsylvania in some ways but with several important distinctions. The most important of these was that the first portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike had largely followed and utilized a [[South Pennsylvania Railroad|costly earlier rail project which had never been completed.]] On the West Virginia Turnpike, there would be no such advantage.<ref name=monday />
The challenge of terrain in West Virginia mirrored that of Pennsylvania in some ways but with several important distinctions. The most important of these was that the first portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike had largely followed and utilized a [[South Pennsylvania Railroad|costly earlier rail project which had never been completed.]] On the West Virginia Turnpike, there would be no such advantage.<ref name=monday />
===Planning and construction===
Line 83 ⟶ 81:
In November 1951, the final alignment was chosen. The route was {{convert|22|mi|km}} shorter than the original road mileage between [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] and Princeton but would save motorists over two hours of driving between those two points. Original cost projections came in at $78 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|78000000|1951}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}).<ref name="monday" /> According to the West Virginia Turnpike CAF Report:
<blockquote>The Commission issued $96 million [equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|96000000|1952}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}] of {{frac|3|3|4}}% revenue bonds in April 1952, and groundbreaking took place in August of that year. Due to the occurrence of large slides midway through construction that had to be corrected at additional expense, revenue bonds for an additional $37 million [equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|37000000|1952}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}] were sold at {{frac|4|1|8}}%. When ground was broken on the first segment of the turnpike, the northern terminus had once again been moved south. This time, it was placed at Charleston, citing cost as the primary reason. The cost was projected to be $133 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|133000000|1952}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) and to be funded through bonds that would be repaid through a system of tolls. This cost included $5 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|5000000|1952}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) for a two-lane tunnel to connect [[Dawes, West Virginia|Dawes]] to [[Standard, West Virginia|Standard]].<ref name="monday" />
The year 1953 kicked off a period of intense earthmoving that at its peak reached {{One2a|{{convert|1|e6yd3|e6m3|spell=in|disp=sqbr}}}} a week and totaled {{convert|30000000|yd3|e6m3|disp=sqbr}}.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR">CAF Report. West Virginia Turnpike. March 20, 2005.</ref></blockquote>
Line 91 ⟶ 89:
<blockquote>The $1.5 million per mile [{{convert|1.5|e6$/mi|e6$/km|abbr=unit|disp=output number only}}/km; equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|1500000|1954}}}} per mile ({{convert|{{inflation|US-GDP|1.5|1954}}|e6$/mi|e6$/km|abbr=off|disp=output number only}}/km) in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}})] was only one of the staggering statistics used by journalists as far away as Michigan and New York to describe their "amazement at an engineering achievement of such heroic proportions".<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/></blockquote>
Three service areas, each served by an at-grade intersection, were constructed at Morton, Bluestone, and Beckley. The service areas were originally referred to as "Glass Houses".{{cncitation needed|date=November 2022}}
For the first few years, the West Virginia Turnpike was a desolate roadway. Although the northern terminus was in a large city, it connected to no other major highways or free-flowing roads. The highway lost some of its "marvel" when ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' referred to the road as "the turnpike that goes to nowhere".<ref name="HD090387">{{cite news |last = Massey |first = Tim R. |title = 'Toughest, meanest job' ends as governor opens turnpike |work = Herald-Dispatch |date = September 3, 1987 }}{{Full citation needed|date=March 2019}}</ref> Popular T-shirts proclaimed, "I survived the West Virginia Turnpike."<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.myimprov.com/the-west-virginia-turnpike-moving-mountains/ |title = The West Virginia Turnpike: Moving Mountains |date = December 2, 2013 |website = MyImprov |language = en-US |access-date = March 10, 2019 |archive-date = September 27, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200927162540/https://www.myimprov.com/the-west-virginia-turnpike-moving-mountains/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
Popular T-shirts proclaimed, "I survived the West Virginia Turnpike."<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.myimprov.com/the-west-virginia-turnpike-moving-mountains/ |title = The West Virginia Turnpike: Moving Mountains |date = December 2, 2013 |website = MyImprov |language = en-US |access-date = March 10, 2019 |archive-date = September 27, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200927162540/https://www.myimprov.com/the-west-virginia-turnpike-moving-mountains/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
[[File:West Virginia Turnpike Kanawha County.jpg|thumb|right|The West Virginia Turnpike in Kanawha County near the Morton Service Area]]
Soon after the turnpike was completed, the [[Interstate Highway System]] began. The new turnpike, despite its lack of compliance with [[Interstate Highway standards]], would cut travel time considerably through the state of West Virginia and link the southern states to the northern states. One of these included I-77, which was to run across the pre existing roadway in order to reduce construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/11/closing-gap-how-interstate-77-in-north.html</ref>|title=Closing Inthe 1967,Gap construction- beganHow onInterstate the77 segmentin betweenNorth theCarolina Westand Virginia Turnpike’sCame (relocated)To southernBe|date=November termini27, to2020}}</ref> theThe NorthTurnpike Carolinawas stateofficially line.designated Asas part of thisI-77 in 1958.<ref name= "wv encyclopedia">https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1121#:~:text=In%201958%2C%20the%20turnpike%20was,least%20four%20lanes%20of%20traffic.</ref> In 1967, a new bridgefree wouldstretch beof builtroadway overnear the Ohio RIverriver was opened, andconstruction began on the segment between the West Virginia TurnpikeTurnpike’s would(relocated) besouthern signedtermini asto partthe ofOhio thestate routeline soon after.{{cncitation needed|date=September 2024}} In August 1969, construction began on the section between the turnpike's relocated northern termini and the Virginia state line. Like with the West Virginia Turnpike, challenges were faced during the latters construction, such as boring a vehicular tunnel, as well as avoiding caves, mud, springs and hard to break tuscarora sandstone.<ref name="free construction">{{Cite web|url=https://www.andrewturnbull.net/i77.html|title=I-77 and the West Virginia Turnpike - The Roads and Rails of Mercer County, WV - The Andrew Turnbull Network|urlwebsite=https://www.andrewturnbull.net/i77.html }}{{full|date=September 2024}}</ref> The North CarolinaOhio extension was completed in 1972,{{cncitation needed|date=September 2024}} and the Virginia extension was competedcompleted on December 20, 1974.<ref name="free construction"/>
===Modernization===
WithOriginally, constructionengineers ofhad segmentsthought ofthat I-77,the [[InterstateWest 64Virginia inTurnpike Westcould be left as originally built once Virginia|I-64]]77 was completed. However, anda [[Interstatelaw 79passed in West1966 Virginia|I-79]]made underwayit byso thethat lateall 1960sinterstates, andpredating 1970stheir designation as such or not, trafficwould beganhave to increasebe rapidlyfour onlanes wide. This effectively meant that the Westturnpike Virginiawould Turnpike,leave a resultinggap in theI-77, as it was a [[Super Twotwo freeway]] becomingfor all but 31 miles, where there was a congestedfour lane bottleneck;configuration for only six miles and a three lane configuration for 25 miles.<ref name= "wv encyclopedia"/> This gap in particular,adequate standards resulted in a major bottleneck; congestion at the toll plazas was aparticularly major concernserious. MoreoverOn top of this, the roadway had also lacked any measures to protect oncoming traffic from crossing directions, which resulted in many [[Head-on collision|head on collisions]], and by extension, an increased amount of fatalities.,<ref name="monday" /><ref name="MaintainceModernize">{{cite press release |last = Barr |first = Greg |title = Parkways Authority Approves Significant Long-term Turnpike Construction, Maintenance and Modernization Strategy |publisher = West Virginia Parkways Authority |date = December 14, 2005 |access-date = December 20, 2005 |url = http://www.wvturnpike.com/news_release2.htm |archive-date = March 19, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060319011729/http://www.wvturnpike.com/news_release2.htm |url-status = live }}</ref> as well as severely deteriorated pavement that had buckled from stress.<ref name= "wv encyclopedia"/> The lack of connection with the Turnpike had also caused the traffic on I-64 between Sam Black Church and Charleston to use a scenic but treacherous section of [[U.S. Route 60 in West Virginia|US 60]] known as the [[Midland Trail (West Virginia)|Midland Trail]] through [[Rainelle, West Virginia|Rainelle]] and [[Ansted, West Virginia|Ansted]] before the road descended Gauley Mountain at [[Hawks Nest, West Virginia|Hawk's Nest]] to the [[Kanawha River]] Valley to reach Charleston. There were terrible accidents along this stretch and lengthy delays as trucks negotiated the major grades.<ref name="monday" /> BecuseBecause of these issues, studies to upgrade the highway were undertaken after the 1966 legislation. In 1968, it was determined that upgrading the turnpike would be more feasible than bypassing it. This was followed by legislation in 1970 that would allow the earlynewly 1970srebuilt roadway to stay as the West Virginia Turnpike.<ref name= "wv encyclopedia"/> In 1974, the cost to expand the turnpike to four lanes was placedeastmated at $350 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|350000000|1974}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}). When the project had not started in 1975, articles in local newspapers attacked the state workers for their "laziness" in pursuing the upgrade of the highway. Turnpike officials worried, as the costs for upgrading the toll road were increasing dramatically.<ref name="MaintainceModernize"/> By 1975, the death toll for the only 21-year-old highway was at 278, and, in 1979, 28 fatalities occurred on the turnpike.<ref name="monday" />
In 1976, contracts totaling well over $200 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|200000000|1976}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) were awarded,<ref andname="RDR"/> construction began that December.<ref name= "RDRwv encyclopedia"/> The first section to be modernized was the section from milepost 10.6 (just north of exit 9, [[U.S. Route 460 in West Virginia|US 460]]) in [[Mercer County, West Virginia|Mercer County]] to milepost 35.52 (south of exit 40, [[Interstate 64 in West Virginia|I-64]]) in [[Raleigh County, West Virginia|Raleigh County]], completed in 1979. As part of this project, exits 14, 20 and 28 were also constructed. In 1980, a segment from milepost 46.7 to milepost 47.95, as well as the newly built exit 48, with [[U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia|US 19]],were completed just north of [[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]]. In 1981, [[Fayette County, West Virginia|Fayette County]] completed a brief segment from milepost 56.15 near Long Branch to milepost 59.63 (exit 60, [[Mossy, West Virginia|Mossy]]) and from milepost 62.27 near [[Kingston, West Virginia|Kingston]] to milepost 66.51 (exit 66, [[Mahan, West Virginia|Mahan]]). In 1982, the modernization of the turnpike from milepost 52.2 just south of Willis Branch to milepost 6.12 near Lively was completed, this also involved construction of a new exit 89. A second [[Kanawha River]] Bridge near [[Malden, West Virginia|Malden]] and the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston was built to carry an additional two lanes of traffic between mileposts 94.96–95.87. This four-lane upgrade was extended southward to milepost 90 (exit 89, [[West Virginia Route 94|WV 94]], [[Marmet, West Virginia|Marmet]]) in 1984.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}
[[File:KANAWHA CITY INTERCHANGE OF THE WEST VIRGINIA TURNPIKE - NARA - 551205.tif|thumb|Aerial view of exit 95 in 1973, when the interchange contained a toll plaza]]
A segment between Fayette and [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha]] counties was wideined from milepost 66.51 (exit 66, Mahan) to milepost 74.96 (exit 74, [[Standard, West Virginia|Standard]]) in 1983, this involved construction of the new exit 63 and exit 74. Traffic just to the west of the latter interchange used the two-lane [[Bender Bridge]] and [[Memorial Tunnel]]. In 1984, the turnpike was widened from milepost 90 (exit 89, WV 94, Marmet) to milepost 82.55; this included construction of a new Toll Plaza C near [[Sharon, West Virginia|Sharon]]. In 1985, work continued on a segment south of Mossy from milepost 59.63 (exit 60, Mossy) to milepost 62.27 near Kingston. Also, a segment from the southern terminus of the turnpike at milepost 8.97 (exit 9, US 460) to milepost 10.6 in Mercer County was reconstructed. In the same year, the Raleigh County segment from milepost 40.73 (exit 40, I-64) to milepost 43.83 (exit 44, [[West Virginia Route 3|WV 3]]) was dualized, and the segment from milepost 47.95 (exit 48, to US 19) to milepost 52.2 (Toll Plaza B at [[Pax, West Virginia|Pax]]) was completed. In 1986, the segment from milepost 35.52 to milepost 40.73 (exit 40, I-64) was dualized. In 1987, work was finished on the dualization from milepost 43.83 (exit 44, WV 3) to milepost 46.6. By this time, the upgrade of {{convert|87|mi|km}} of the {{convert|88|mi|km}} of the turnpike were essentially completed.<ref name="RDR"/> The only remaining segment, the [[Memorial Tunnel]], once hailed as "state-of-the-art" and the "most majestic feature of the highway",<ref name="monday" /> was becoming a bottleneck in the otherwise four-lane highway. By 1986, the Turnpike Commission was spending over $500,000 per year (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|500000|1986}}}} per year in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) to maintain the lights and the automatic exhaust equipment in the tunnel.<ref name="monday" /> Several options were considered, including dualization of the tunnels, addition of two lanes through a large road cut in the mountain, leaving the other two lanes in the tunnel, and replacement of the entire tunnel with an open cut to the north. Citing the high maintenance costs of a tunnel, the replacement option was ultimately chosen.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/>
By 1987, the upgrade of {{convert|87|mi|km}} of the {{convert|88|mi|km}} of the turnpike were essentially completed.<ref name="RDR"/> The only remaining segment, the [[Memorial Tunnel]], once hailed as "state-of-the-art" and the "most majestic feature of the highway",<ref name="monday" /> was becoming a bottleneck in the otherwise four-lane highway. By 1986, the Turnpike Commission was spending over $500,000 per year (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|500000|1986}}}} per year in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) to maintain the lights and the automatic exhaust equipment in the tunnel.<ref name="monday" /> Several options were considered, including dualization of the tunnels, addition of two lanes through a large road cut in the mountain, leaving the other two lanes in the tunnel, and replacement of the entire tunnel with an open cut to the north. Citing the high maintenance costs of a tunnel, the replacement option was ultimately chosen.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/>
"The biggest relief will be from our utility crews, who had to maintain the electrical systems and so forth in the tunnel", Turnpike Commission Chair George McIntryre said. "It will make all of our jobs easier as far as traffic is concerned on the turnpike."{{cn|date=May 2022}}<!--direct quotations require a citation.--> The {{convert|1.72|mi|km|adj=on}} bypass would bypass both the tunnel and the [[Bender Bridge]] which crossed Paint Creek just to the east of the tunnel portal. On July 6, 1987, the Memorial Tunnel officially closed, and two lanes of the open cut just to the north of it were opened. The other two lanes of the open cut were completed in late August.<ref name="MemorialTunnelCloses">{{cite news |title = Turnpike's Memorial Tunnel closes |work = Herald-Dispatch |date = July 6, 1987 }}{{Full citation needed|date= March 2019}}</ref>
State Trooper W. D. Thomson became the last motorist to drive through the tunnel. It was not meant to be that way. Originally, Tommy Graley of Standard and his two daughters were picked to be in the last vehicle to pass through the tunnel, but his pickup truck was followed by a car carrying Turnpike officials and the state trooper.<ref name="MemorialTunnelCloses"/> The new Memorial Tunnel bypass cost $35 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|35000000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) and required years of work. {{convert|10|e6yd3|e6m3|spell=In}} of earth were removed and used as fill with drainage tiles for Paint Creek. Some {{convert|300,000|ST|t LT}} of coal were extracted. The Bender Bridge was demolished. The former Memorial Tunnel was used for storage until the mid-1990s, when it became a testing center for tunnel-fire suppression for Boston's [[Big Dig]] project.{{cn|date=May 2022}}
[[File:West Virginia Turnpike Raleigh County.jpg|right|thumb|The West Virginia Turnpike in Raleigh County; the next interchange leads to the Beckley Service Area and the Tamarack.]]
"The biggest relief will be from our utility crews, who had to maintain the electrical systems and so forth in the tunnel", Turnpike Commission Chair George McIntryre said. "It will make all of our jobs easier as far as traffic is concerned on the turnpike."{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}<!--direct quotations require a citation.--> The {{convert|1.72|mi|km|adj=on}} bypass would bypass both the tunnel and the [[Bender Bridge]] which crossed Paint Creek just to the east of the tunnel portal. On July 6, 1987, the Memorial Tunnel officially closed, and two lanes of the open cut just to the north of it were opened. The other two lanes of the open cut were completed in late August.<ref name="MemorialTunnelCloses">{{cite news |title = Turnpike's Memorial Tunnel closes |work = Herald-Dispatch |date = July 6, 1987 }}{{Full citation needed|date= March 2019}}</ref> State Trooper W. D. Thomson became the last motorist to drive through the tunnel. It was not meant to be that way. Originally, Tommy Graley of Standard and his two daughters were picked to be in the last vehicle to pass through the tunnel, but his pickup truck was followed by a car carrying Turnpike officials and the state trooper.<ref name="MemorialTunnelCloses"/> The new Memorial Tunnel bypass cost $35 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|35000000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) and required years of work. {{convert|10|e6yd3|e6m3|spell=In}} of earth were removed and used as fill with drainage tiles for Paint Creek. Some {{convert|300,000|ST|t LT}} of coal were extracted. The Bender Bridge was demolished. The Memorial Tunnel was used for storage until the mid-1990s, when it became a testing center for tunnel-fire suppression for Boston's [[Big Dig]] project.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} The tunnel is still being used today by the [[National Response Center]] for military and other testing uses. The bypass was not the first of its kind on a toll road, as the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] bypassed the [[Laurel Hill Tunnel]] in 1964 in similar fashion, and later [[Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike|bypassed two more tunnels with a single stretch of highway]] in 1968.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}} The final cost for the entire modernization of the West Virginia Turnpike was $683 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|683000000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}), more than $300 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|300000000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) over original estimates.<ref name="HD090387"/> It was also one of the few Interstates that received 90-percent federal funding and permission to charge a toll, due to extremely high construction costs. A total of 18 interchanges now exist on the West Virginia Turnpike, up from the original six. A rest area is now provided at milepost 69 for southbound motorists, and a scenic overlook of the [[Bluestone River]] also serves southbound motorists.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}} The turnpike displays many cuts through mountains as well as lanes that are separated from each other by substantial difference in elevation. With the work, all of I-77 in West VIrigina was at least our lanes wide .<ref>{{cite web |first = Carol |last = Melling |date = October 14, 2013 |url = https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1121 |title = West Virginia Turnpike |website = e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia |publisher = West Virginia Humanities Council |access-date = 2019-07-06 |archive-date = July 6, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190706021835/https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1121 |url-status = live }}</ref> The final of the construction, the I-64 interchange was put into service by 1988.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}}
===Later history===
On June 1, 1989, the [[West Virginia Legislature]] created the [[West Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority]] to replace the Turnpike Commission.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}} The year also saw the removal of toll plazas from all the interchanges but exit 48,<ref>{{cite web|title = West Virginia Turnpike History|url=https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/about/turnpike_history/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=September 15, 2024|language=en}}</ref> effectively transitioning the turnpike from a ticketed toll system to the less traditional fixed toll system. {{cncitation needed|date=September 2024}}
In 1991, the Morton and Bluestone Glass Houses were replaced with larger, more modern travel centers. In 1993, the Beckley Glass House was also replaced. Morton and Bluestone service plazas were available to northbound travelers only, while the Beckley service plaza was accessible only to southbound motorists.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/> [[HMSHost]] operates the various restaurants at the plazas, while [[ExxonMobil]] (through its [[Exxon]] brand) operates the [[gas station]] at each plaza.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}}
In 1993, the Beckley Glass House was replaced by a modern travel plaza.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/>
In May 1996, exit 45 was reconstructedopened to serve the Beckley travel plaza, Dry Hill Road, and the newly constructed [[Tamarack Marketplace]] arts and crafts outlet.<ref name="Tamarack">{{cite web |title = The Best of West Virginia |publisher = Tamarack |date = March 24, 2004 |url = http://www.tamarackwv.com |access-date = May 1, 2022 |archive-date = April 22, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220422163727/https://www.tamarackwv.com/ |url-status = live }}</ref> ThisBecause this interchange was a full one, it made the Beckley plaza and Tamarack Marketplace accessible to northbound travelers for the first time.
From late 1999 to early 2000, all electronic tolling was introduced across the Turnpike.<ref name="all electronic tolling">{{Cite book|title = 2014 annual reprot|url=https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/about/investorrelations/Documents/Consulting%20Engineers%20Annual%20Report/WEST%20VIRGINIA%20PARKWAYS%20AUTHORITY%202014%20Annual%20Report.pdf|access-date=September 15, 2024}}</ref>
In 2004, a concession stand and new restroom facilities were constructed at the rest area at milepost 69, serving southbound travelers.<ref name="2017 rebuild">{{Cite web |title = West Virginia Turnpike Travel Plazas Survey |url = http://wvtravelplazas.com/ |access-date = 2021-07-05 |website = WVTravelPlazas.com |archive-date = July 9, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183416/http://wvtravelplazas.com/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
From 2008 to 2012, [[E-ZPass]] was introduced across the turnpike, replacing the existing all electronic system in the process.<ref name="all electronic tolling"/>
The milepost 69 rest area and snack bar was reconstructed into a larger facility in 2017.<ref name="2017 rebuild">{{Cite web |title = West Virginia Turnpike Travel Plazas Survey |url = http://wvtravelplazas.com/ |access-date = 2021-07-05 |website = WVTravelPlazas.com |archive-date = July 9, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183416/http://wvtravelplazas.com/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
As early as 2006, the Turnpike had considered widening the section near Beckly from four to six lanes. However, they cacelled this plan, as they had thought it would be too expensive. Despite this, in November 2018, the West Virginia Turnpike Authority awarded Saint Albans contractor Triton Construction and the project began immediately. Work on the project between exits 40 and 48 from four to six lanes also required reconstructing eight bridges to be wider, replacing lighting, and extending the deceleration lanes of exits 45 and 48. Work was completed in November 2021, at the cost of $106,000,000.<ref>{{cite web|title = Turnpike widening project in Beckley opens in time for Thanksgiving holiday travel|date=November 22, 2021 |url=https://wvmetronews.com/2021/11/22/turnpike-widening-project-in-beckley-open-to-motorists/|access-date=September 15, 2024|language=en}}</ref>
In 2021, the Parkways Authority sought public input for modernization of the travel plazas, representing the first significant work on the travel plazas since some of them were rebuilt in the 1990s.<ref name="2017 rebuild"/> At the result of this, in 2022, the Beckley and Bluestone Service Plazas were closed to undergo a 122 million dollar recinstruction to bring them up to the milepost 69 plazas standards. On December 15, 2023, the new Beckley and Bluestone service plazas were opened.<ref>{{cite news |title=West Virginia Turnpike Projects Near Completion: New Plazas and Payment Options Coming Soon |url=https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/west-virginia-turnpike-projects-near-completion-new-plazas-and-payment-options-coming-soon/article_0e73a414-64a7-11ef-84df-1f4e1de8c269.html |access-date=September 15, 2024 |work=WV News |date=August 27, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
In 2023, the eastbound lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike between milepost 121.5 and milepost 48 was rebuilt, with the old roadway and steel mesh removed and new steel mesh added and old concrete re-poured for use on the new roadway. On March 22, 2024, the same began on the westbound lanes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Contractors beginning road reconstruction project on West Virginia Turnpike|url=https://transportation.wv.gov/communications/PressRelease/Pages/Contractors_beginning_road_reconstruction_project_on_West_Virginia_Turnpike.aspx |work=WV DOT|date=March 22, 2024|access-date = 2024-09-15|language=en}}</ref>
WVDOT plans to rebuild the 7.3-mile free section of roadway between Tuppers Creek Road and the Jackson County Line. West Virginia Paving, the sole bidder for the project, offered $51,252,637.96 on June 11, 2024. A contract for the project was awarded on June 27.<ref>{{cite web|title=WVDOT awards contract for I-77 reconstruction|url=https://transportation.wv.gov/communications/PressRelease/Pages/WVDOH_awards_contract_for_I_77_reconstruction.aspx|access-date=September 15, 2024|language=en}}</ref> They are also plan to rebuild the interchange with I-81 and the West Virginia Turnpike, which is expected to start in October 2024.<ref>https://www.publicinput.com/h7335</ref>
====Bond troubles====
At one point in the turnpike's history, the Turnpike Commission was not able to pay off even the interest on its bonded indebtedness, and the first bond was not retired until 1982.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/> When the original bond expired on December 1, 1989, the Turnpike Commission had difficulty determining how to refinance it.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}}
Total revenues from 1954 through 1986 totaled $309.3 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|309300000|1986}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}), with interest of $170.7 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|170700000|1986}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}). In 1986, total annual revenues were $30.4 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|30400000|1986}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}). The commission predicted that when I-64 was completed from Beckley to Sam Black Church in 1988, 6,500 more vehicles would travel the turnpike daily. In the previous 10 years, the commission noted, traffic increased 100 percent and annual gross revenues increased from $11.4 million to $30.4 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|11400000|1978}}}} to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|30400000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}).<ref name="HD090187">{{cite news |last = Miller |first = Tom D. |title = It'll be four lanes all the way... and a free ride for almost a day |work = Herald-Dispatch |date = September 1, 1987 }}{{Full citation needed|date= March 2019}}</ref> The refinancing plan was ultimately completed about six months later, with a new debt approaching $50 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|50000000|1987}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}). Consequently, tolls were held at former rates, ranging from $3.75 to $12 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|3.75|1987}} to ${{inflation|US|12.00|1987}} in {{inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|index=US-GDP}}) per one-way through trip.{{cncitation needed|date=May 2022}}
==Tolls==
[[File:WVtollbooth.jpg|thumb|right|Toll booths on the West Virginia Turnpike]]
There are three toll barriers along the turnpike. {{asofas of|2022|01}}, passenger cars with two axles pay $4.25 at each barrier. There is also a toll plaza at exit 48, which charges $0.75 for passenger cars exiting northbound and entering southbound.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url = https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/EZPass/Information/Pages/Toll-Rates-Starting-2022.aspx |title = Toll Rates Starting 2022 |publisher = West Virginia Parkways Authority |access-date = April 4, 2022 |archive-date = May 1, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220501225804/https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/EZPass/Information/Pages/Toll-Rates-Starting-2022.aspx |url-status = live }}</ref> Rates for larger vehicles are higher. The West Virginia Turnpike is a member of the [[E-ZPass]] electronic toll collection consortium, allowing members to attach a transponder to their windshield or front bumper and pay electronically.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/travel_resources/Pages/Toll-Rates.aspx |title = Toll Rates Effective Beginning January 1, 2019 |publisher = West Virginia Parkways Authority |date = January 1, 2019 |access-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-date = May 19, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210519161951/https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/travel_resources/Pages/Toll-Rates.aspx |url-status = live }}</ref> West Virginia E-ZPass members can pay a flat annual fee for unlimited travel on the West Virginia Turnpike.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="The Big Dawg">{{cite web |title = Parkways Authority details Beckley widening project, strong response for flat fee program |url = http://wjls.com/parkways-authority-details-beckley-widening-project-strong-response-for-flat-fee-program/ |access-date = August 16, 2021 |location = Beckley, West Virginia |publisher = [[WJLS (AM)|WJLS-AM]] |date = September 6, 2018 |archive-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816133827/http://wjls.com/parkways-authority-details-beckley-widening-project-strong-response-for-flat-fee-program/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
The Parkways Authority briefly raised toll rates on January 1, 2006,<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/> but a state judge found the hike to be illegal, rescinding it a few days later. The state legislature subsequently affirmed the judge's decision and removed the Commission's power to set rates, reserving that power to itself.{{Citation needed|date = August 2021}} Greg Barr, General Manager of the West Virginia Parkways Authority, had said that, while other states had dramatically increased their tolls over the past few years, the West Virginia Turnpike had not experienced any rate hikes in over two decades.<ref name="WVTPKCAFR"/> However, tolls were increased by 60 percent (from $1.25 to $2 at each barrier) in 2009<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Shinkle |first1 = Leanne |last2 = Hedrick |first2 = Chad |title = Update: Tolls are now doubled on the W.Va. Turnpike |location = Huntington, West Virginia |publisher = [[WSAZ-TV]] |date = March 27, 2018 |url = https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/How-to-save-money-on-WV-Turnpike-478095983.html |access-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816132131/https://www.wsaz.com/content/news/How-to-save-money-on-WV-Turnpike-478095983.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Pace |first = Fred |title = W.Va. Turnpike sets toll collections record for July 4th holiday period |website = The Herald-Dispatch |date = August 13, 2021 |url = https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/w-va-turnpike-sets-toll-collections-record-for-july-4th-holiday-period/article_9c06356d-0b49-5660-b766-faf00148f91e.html |access-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816132131/https://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/w-va-turnpike-sets-toll-collections-record-for-july-4th-holiday-period/article_9c06356d-0b49-5660-b766-faf00148f91e.html |url-status = live }}</ref> and again by 100 percent (to $4.00 at each barrier) in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last = Morris |first = Jeff |title = Time to pay up: West Virginia Turnpike tolls double to $4 |location = Charleston, West Virginia |publisher = [[WCHS-TV]] |date = January 15, 2019 |url = https://wchstv.com/news/local/time-to-pay-up-west-virginia-turnpike-tolls-double-to-4 |access-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816132131/https://wchstv.com/news/local/time-to-pay-up-west-virginia-turnpike-tolls-double-to-4 |url-status = live }}</ref>
In 2013, the [[West Virginia House of Delegates]] voted in support of a resolution to remove tolls on the turnpike by 2020,<ref>{{Cite web |last = Kercheval |first = Hoppy |date = 2013-04-03 |title = House votes 97-1 to remove turnpike tolls |url = https://wvmetronews.com/2013/04/03/house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-take-tolls-off-turnpike/ |access-date = 2021-08-16 |website = WV MetroNews |language = en-US |archive-date = August 16, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816133828/https://wvmetronews.com/2013/04/03/house-votes-overwhelmingly-to-take-tolls-off-turnpike/ |url-status = live }}</ref> but the West Virginia Parkways Authority resolved in 2016 to continue charging tolls after that date.<ref> {{cite web |author = West Virginia Parkways Authority |date = January 7, 2016 |title = West Virginia Parkways Authority Resolution in Support of the Continuation of Tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike Once Existing Bonds Are Paid in Full or Defeased |url = https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/about/Documents/Resolution%20in%20support%20of%20the%20continuation%20of%20tolls%20on%20the%20WV%20Tu.pdf |publisher = West Virginia Parkways Authority |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210816133828/https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/about/Documents/Resolution%20in%20support%20of%20the%20continuation%20of%20tolls%20on%20the%20WV%20Tu.pdf |archive-date = August 16, 2021 }}</ref>
==Tamarack Marketplace==