You can count on one hand the number of motorists who have shown an interest in four mandatory hearings before the West Virginia Parkways Authority can raise tolls on the Turnpike.

Even so, Turnpike Manager Greg Barr is counting on a far bigger response by the public when the hearings begin tonight in Kanawha County.

“Just a couple of e-mails,” Barr said Monday, on the eve of the first such hearing mandated by the Legislature before the governing board can impose the first lasting fare increase since 1981.

“Not really a lot of public response. I just assume people are waiting to come to the hearings so they’ll get their comments aired in a formal setting.”

After the initial forum at Riverside High School in Belle, the authority heads for the Fayette County Courthouse in Fayetteville for the second hearing Wednesday. Such public comment periods were ordered by the Legislature after a short-lived toll increase imposed in 2006.

A third one is booked Thursday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, with the final one scheduled for Friday at the Mercer County Courthouse in Princeton.

Once the hearings are wrapped up, Barr plans to convert all public comments to a DVD so that board members can study them prior to a June 25 board meeting when a toll decision is to be made.

Tentatively, the board is eyeing an increase that raises the fare for cars from $1.25 to $2 per barrier, and five-axle trucks from $4.25 to $6.75. By using a West Virginia E-ZPass, cars would be charged $1.50 per barrier, while trucks would be assessed $5.06.

Based on engineering and traffic studies examined earlier, the authority has tentatively approved a 60 percent toll increase across the board.

Some authority members plan to attend some of the hearings, merely to listen and observe.

Under the format, the time slot from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. will allow motorists to flow from one informational table to the next, while 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will be used to take formal comments.

“Their primary goal is to listen to public comment and give due consideration to all of them before they make a final decision,” Barr said.

The Turnpike has experienced a steady downturn in revenues, which Barr has attributed to the recession, while the 88-mile toll road has been crumbling from Princeton to Charleston. Pavement is uneven, huge potholes have surfaced, bridges are dilapidated and culverts are rotting out, as reporters witnessed in a two-day tour from one end to the other.

Board members actually will meet again June 4, but only routine business will be on the agenda, Barr said.

Residents also can download a public comment form from the authority’s Web site but must either mail or fax it to the authority’s Charleston office.

“Those that couldn’t make it to the public hearings for whatever reasons can still submit public comment forms through June 6 and they will be given consideration by the board,” Barr added.

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com