Published: July 01, 2009 09:45 pm      

Editorial: Toll hike

Repairs must begin immediately

It hurts.

Knowing that it’s going to cost more to travel the West Virginia Turnpike doesn’t feel good, but it is, unfortunately, necessary.

Perhaps the only remedy that can ease the pain is the knowledge that repairs are forthcoming. They must be.

The turnpike is facing about $350 million in deferred maintenance costs, and it needs about $20 million in additional revenue every year to begin meeting those costs. Tolls, which have not increased since 1981, are the only way to generate that money.

The Parkways Authority never should have been in the business of economic development. Instead of using toll funds to maintain and upgrade the 88-mile road, the authority put the money elsewhere. It was a mistake, and all the state can do now to heal the wound is change the system and increase tolls.

Wednesday, the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority voted unanimously to raise tolls for passenger vehicles from $1.25 to $2 and for large trucks from $4.25 to $6.75.

It may be painful, but it will certainly be worth it, assuming repairs begin immediately. After all, our lives are at stake.

In fact, a study released Wednesday — ironically the same day the authority approved the toll hike — claims faulty highway conditions contribute to half of all fatal auto accidents in the United States. (The report was commissioned by the Transportation Construction Coalition, which represents trade groups and unions with a vested interest in funding for road construction.)

Faulty highway conditions cited in the report include the very types of conditions that abound along our heavily traveled turnpike, such as dilapidated bridges, backed-up culverts and potholes.

The report concludes that bad highway design and conditions are a factor in more than half of the fatal accidents in the United States, contributing to more deaths than speeding, drunken driving or failure to use seatbelts, according to a Washington Post article quoting Ted R. Miller, who co-authored the 18-month study.

Road-related conditions were a factor in 22,000 fatalities and cost more than $217 billion each year, the study concludes. By comparison, Miller said, similar accidents where alcohol was a factor cost $130 billion, speeding cost $97 billion and failure to wear a seat belt caused losses of $60 billion.

Almost 42,000 people die in traffic accidents per year.

Look at it another way: Repairs on our own turnpike and on other highways across our nation could save 22,000 lives a year. West Virginia must do its part to make that happen.

Now that the toll hike has been approved, repairs to the West Virginia Turnpike must begin immediately. We’ve put them off far too long.