Toll road plan is scrapped

8/27/2008

by Kate Evans - The Morgan Messenger

West Virginia Division of Highways officials have scrapped a plan to turn the 19-mile U.S. 522 into a toll road. The highway runs from the Virginia border to the Maryland state line.

State Highway Engineer Marvin Murphy told the Morgan County Commission on Friday that the U.S. 522 toll road is “basically off the table” because of the negative press and public comments they had received.

"We won't proceed without community support," Murphy said.

Resident Jim Dupont said he had already sent 3,000 signatures against the toll road to highway officials. He gave 700 new signatures opposing the toll road to Murphy. Only two people wouldn’t sign his petition, Dupont said.

Commissioner Brenda Hutchinson asked Murphy how far they were going to go with the toll road project before they took in public comment.

“We got the message. We’re not finding anyone that wants it. As far as we’re concerned, it’s not a project,” Murphy said of the toll road.

“We’re not going to come in and shove it down your throats. We’ll look at other options,” Murphy added.

Resolution passed

Later in their August 22 meeting, the county commissioners unanimously adopted a formal resolution against the U.S. 522 toll road. Commissioner Glen Stotler made the motion and Commissioner Hutchinson seconded it.

In their resolution, the commissioners said it wasn’t in the best interest of Morgan County and its citizens to make any part of the existing U.S. 522 a toll road or to construct a new four-lane U.S. 522 and bypass as a toll road.

Stotler said the commission had opposed the toll road idea from the start, but wanted some discussion with a Division of Highways official about it before adopting a formal position.

Why U.S. 522?

Stotler asked Murphy how U.S. 522 had been picked as a possible toll road. The decision was made due to the price of the project, Murphy said.

The cost of the U.S. 522 project was initially estimated at $189 million, which would be paid for in 30 years. Rising construction expenses have now placed the project cost close to $400 million, Murphy said.

The increased price tag included right-of-way costs, higher steel prices and expenses for construction on certain types of terrain, Murphy said.

Toll roads generally only make back 70% of their cost from collecting tolls over 30 years, he said. Other monies for construction still have to be found.

Funding for road projects usually comes through earmarked appropriations, Murphy said.

Project ranks low

Commissioner Tommy Swaim asked why the U.S. 522 bypass project had fallen from sixth place to 33rd on the state road priority list.

Murphy explained that factors such as congestion, traffic, use, need, safety and economic development were considered in the rankings of state road projects. Existing traffic counts from 2005 were used in the toll road feasibility study, he said.

Swaim said that the U.S. 522 ranking should change with new traffic counts. Traffic counts are conducted on U.S. 522 every three years, Murphy said.

Other questions

Morgan Messenger editor John Douglas asked if there was a deal with U.S. Silica to close the present U.S. 522 through the sand mine once a Berkeley Springs bypass is done.

Douglas said the road closure would make traffic worse, especially because traffic from the 1200-home development planned by Freeman Companies would end up being routed from Rt. 9 West south through town to a bypass entrance.

Hutchinson said the plan to place a toll booth at U.S. Silica and shutting down a section of U.S. 522 was a terrible option since the alternative route was a “little country road.”

Stotler said that road closure plan was connected to a compromise over the hospital site and is no longer a consideration.

Murphy said the parameters had all changed and that closing U.S. 522 through U.S. Silica is out because they couldn’t just shut down the road.

Fairview Drive is not considered to be a good alternative route, Murphy said.

Bypass at standstill

Swaim asked where they stood as far as work on the U.S. 522 bypass. Work on the bypass has come to a stop, Murphy said.

“The directive now is we don’t design anything we don’t have the money for. We’ll have to redesign it later,” Murphy said.