Keep WV Moving

West Virginia, faced with a long list of road repair and maintenance needs, is looking for ways to find more money. But a couple of measures on the table aimed at doing that will require caution if they are implemented, and are unlikely to provide a complete remedy.
 
The Legislature passed two bills that await Gov. Joe Manchin's signature during the recently completed 60-day regular session. One of them involves charging tolls on certain roads to pay for building or expanding them -- a measure that was one of Manchin's agenda items heading into the session. The other piece of legislation would give counties a variety of funding tools to help pay for road construction, including user fees and bonds.
 
State transportation officials also are conducting forums around the state to see whether residents will support increases in the gasoline tax and some fees.
 
State government now maintains 92 percent of the roads in West Virginia, a far higher percentage than virtually all other states. It is among but four states in the country to have such a centralized system.
 
The trouble is, though, that West Virginia's main internal source of revenue to support road maintenance -- the gasoline tax -- is yielding less money as gas prices fell in the last few years, people were driving less and cars were becoming more fuel-efficient. Couple that with the estimated $10 billion need to sustain road and bridge conditions and keep up with economic development through 2018, and you've got a problem.
 
If the two bills that passed the Legislature are signed into law, we urge state officials to beware of some concerns.
 
Regarding the toll bill, residents who have to start paying to use more roads in the state aren't likely to be happy. That's become clear with the experience of the West Virginia Turnpike, the state's only toll road at present. Frustrations persist over the toll itself, how the money has been spent and paying off the debt created to build the road.
 
If any new tolls are implemented, we urge state officials to set a finite period for the tolls to be in effect and to provide a clear accounting of the money that's collected.
 
The proposal involving counties would mark a clear departure from the state's practice. Counties in West Virginia haven't been responsible for road work since the Great Depression. While some lawmakers talked about the need to break the "dependency culture" that relies on state and federal money for roadwork, that isn't likely to be simple.
 
For one thing, the public will have to go along with any county government's desire to generate money for road and highway work. The legislation in the governor's hands requires that voters approve any request for extra fees or the issuance of bonds. Experience shows that voters often aren't willing to pay more in taxes and fees, no matter what the purpose.
 
If these bills are signed into law, state officials should realize that there's unlikely to be any quick or significant infusion of cash for roads. Tolls will only yield any sizable amounts of money on well-traveled highways. And counties aren't likely to be willing or able to convince voters to allow specific road funding.
 
These measures may help some, but the larger problem will remain.