The Road to Nowhere

My Take on the Tolls in West Virginia

Originally published in the February 2006 issue of Vibe Entertainment Guide

I was born and raised in the upper end of Kanawha City. In my youth, the Turnpike bridge above Kanawha Mall was a toll bridge. As a kid it seemed that the little community on the other side of that bridge was as distant and different as East Germany simply because of that .25 cent toll to cross the bridge.

At the same time, my Grandparents lived in the shadows of the Dunbar toll bridge. Yes, back in the day, that bridge also required a toll and I have many memories of shopping trips to Classic Shoe Store and Murphy’s Mart in Dunbar that always included the process of paying a toll to cross the bridge.

Being that I was a car nut from my first diaper change, I was always very inquisitive during my ventures out onto the highway and I remember time and time again having the process of “tolls” explained to me.

In particular, I remember my Grandmother telling me how the Dunbar Toll Bridge was built to help build the community. It was just an extension of the regular roads, but it was something that may have only truly benefited a small portion of the area so the fee was the way chosen to pay for the cost of the bridge. When I was a kid it all seemed so logical. Everyone chips in a bit and eventually it’s paid for.

I even remember the coupon books that my Grandmother purchased allowing her to pass through the toll booth and greet the nice employees, but she didn’t have to worry about having cash. On top of all that I remember that on one of the trips across that Dunbar toll bridge my Grandmother’s car was pulled aside and she was awarded a prize for being the ceremonial number of people to use the toll bridge. I don’t have any idea if she was the millionth person to pay a toll or if she was some other number, but she did get some sort of recognition and I was there to witness all of the excitement.

Growing up in Kanawha City in the 1970’s I was around when the interstate was just starting to come through town. Back then, the interstate didn’t really make it all the way to Kanawha City, it sort of ended and then just up the way was the WV Turnpike which was the curvy and dangerous noodle of pavement that connected Charleston and Beckley.

Oh, the horror stories I heard. Being a Policeman’s son, I got to hear all the emergency calls on the scanner and, of course, my dad would often relate to me how the Turnpike was a place that had a bunch of wrecks and how it was dangerous in any sort of bad weather and particularly at night.

It seemed awfully strange to me that the only road that adults ever explained to me as being dangerous was also the only one that I was aware of that required payment to use.

Growing up, my family almost never ventured east. I knew there were neat things to see east of Charleston, but the prospect of paying a toll to get there meant that we would always go west. New restaurants, new shopping, visiting family, we were always in South Charleston, Dunbar, Winfield or somewhere where tolls weren’t required.

Years passed and with the interstates finally passing all the way through Charleston we were able to lose the toll on the bridge above Kanawha City. Also, it turns out that the Dunbar Toll Bridge was finally paid for and I remember the day they tore down the toll booths and that bridge became just like any other.

Much later in life I learned the true definition of tolls and the burden they place on those impacted by them. Yes, I had to grow up and lose the iconic frame of reference I had for highway tolls. Why can’t it all stay as easy as it is when we are
kids?

I recently read with disbelief that a nearly anonymous group of state employees made a decision to raise the tolls on the WV Turnpike to $2 dollars per booth.

These people are crazy beyond belief. I truly can see no rational reason to continue to punish this state with forced poverty due to the tolls on the only highway available.

The toll road is an approx 80 mile stretch of road that connects Charleston with
all points east. The turnpike is the ONLY highway route east and south through West Virginia. Frankly, it’s genius for the idiots in state government. It’s the only route available for people from WV and Ohio to use to easily get to the beach. Why not continue to fleece everyone that chooses to pass through our state.

Amazingly, I don’t really care about the tourists; it’s the victims that live in the region of these tolls that I worry about.

Think of the Kanawha City bridge as “zero” on a number line. All points west, through Charleston, west to Huntington on I-64 and points north on I-77 and I-79 represent the positive numbers on my imaginary number line.

All points east from the Kanawha City bridge represent the negative numbers on this number line. All these points represent the toll road. It’s the areas from Chelyan through Oak Hill, Pax and Beckley. Continuing on south on I-77 there is one more toll booth before you get to Princeton.

Ok, now imagine this number line I have created. Imagine all the economic development you have witnessed in the last 20 years. Where did it occur?

Huntington Mall, Nitro Marketplace, NGK Sparkplug Plant, Toyota Plant, Merritt’s
Creek Shopping Center, Southridge Shopping Center and dozens of other entertainment and job creation entities are all situated at points inside of Charleston
or points east or north thereof.

Name any significant economic development or significant new construction that private entities have brought to the areas effected by the toll road.

All of the people that choose to live, or are trapped due to their economic condition, along the West Virginia toll road have a cause of action against the State Government for using the tolls to permanently lower property values, provide fewer
job opportunities and a give far lower general standard of living than is witnessed in the more affluent areas of the State (coincidentally situated west of Charleston along the “free” portion of the highway).

It’s the height of arrogance and irresponsibility for the state to not work to find a standard way to fund our highway system. The tolls along our eastern corridor have been a weight upon the economic engine of the state and it is high time those shackles are broken. How can any rational person not look at the aituations present in the eastern counties and not realize that it is largely due to the oppression brought forth by the requirement to pay admission to visit.

We can’t get people and companies to relocate to West Virginia in the locations
where it is free to move around. How in the hell do you expect to even give away property or opportunity in an area where one must pay $2.00 to just go to the next exit to buy groceries.

There is a very famous picture that has floated around on the internet for several years. The picture was taken from a spy satellite and it depicts the Korean peninsula. Remember when we fought a war over that place?

Well, North Korea, as you are probably aware is a very backward place and there hasn’t been much progress or improvement in the standard of living for those people since the end of the Korean conflict.

On the other hand, South Korea has been a politically and economically free country and the have used the ensuing fifty years to become a world trading and manufacturing power. Their people enjoy a standard of living that is on par with the rest of the developed world.

This satellite picture I am talking about shows the entire peninsula which is divided by a heavily fortified border that splits the country into North and South.

The picture shows a South Korea full of white lights and clusters of towns and cities and ribbons of light that are highways used by the citizens to work and enjoy their lives. Conversely, the upper half of the picture is North Korea and it appears there is nobody home. A few lights are scattered around, but the country looks barren, abandoned and alone. It’s a far cry from the life, energy and happiness that is shown just below in South Korea.

Imagine if you will, the same satellite picture taken above West Virginia. Other than the bright street lamps on our toll road, I would proffer that the disparity between light, life, activity and happiness between points east of Charleston and points west would be just as striking as what is seen between the divided Koreas.

The tolls are almost as bad of a killer of freedom and prosperity as is the communist system at work in North Korea.

It’s time our legislators freed the population effected by these tolls. Open up the beautiful eastern part of our state. Do you want to see tourism skyrocket? Remove
the admission price.