CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Motorists traveling the West Virginia Turnpike during the Thanksgiving holiday are going to have a new option when it comes to paying their $4.25 toll.
West Virginia Parkways Authority Executive Director Jeff Miller said the recent completion of the Turnpike’s new tolling system will allow a ‘toll by plate’ option.
“If there’s a significant backup, we can offer in those E-ZPass lanes now a ‘toll by plate’ option. The patron can go through there and they’ll have 30 days to go online at our new website, wvturnpike.com, and pay their bill online,” Miller said.
It’s a significant step in technology, Miller said.
“That’s really what we’ve been working toward the past couple of years on this toll system upgrade.”
The $25 million upgrade was completed in the past week just in time for the busiest time of the year on the 88-mile toll road. It replaced a system that had been in operation since 2008.
Motorists will be offered a credit card lane beginning next year. Miller maintains E-ZPass remains the best option.
“We’ve seen an increase in E-ZPass which is our goal. That’s the future of tolling and that’s how we get people through our tolling facilities much faster,” he said.
An unlimited use pass can be purchased for $26.25 a year.
Miller said the new tolling system also provides real-time monitoring which will enable Turnpike officials to change the designation of toll plaza lanes based on traffic flow.
The Parkways Authorities is estimating 710,000 transactions at the toll plazas for the holiday period that began Tuesday and ends on Sunday. Miller said Wednesday and Sunday will be the busiest days.
“We’re looking at 150-thousand plus (transactions) on each of those days. Just consider that about a 50 percent increase in traffic on each of those days,” he said.
Turnpike transactions number about 100,000 on a normal day.
The heaviest traffic Wednesday and Sunday will be between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Miller said it does make a difference for motorists who choose to stay out of the peak window.
“I joke every year that everybody leaves to go to grandma’s house at the same time for Thanksgiving. So maybe leave a little earlier or wait a little bit because it seems like everybody hits those southbound toll facilities at the same time and that’s really what creates those back-ups,” Miller said.
Story by Jeff Jenkins, MetroNews