While cost-cutting and downsizing have freed up money, the agency that runs the West Virginia Turnpike still has barely more than one-third of what it needs for road improvements. The chronic funding shortage detailed by a legislative review Tuesday has left more than 60 percent of the turnpike in fair to poor condition.
A joint interim committee commissioned a study of the state Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority. The results show the agency has made great strides in shedding its non-turnpike functions.
But a decline in the growth of toll revenues has left the authority with as much as $15 million annually for capital improvements. The pricetag for such work on the 88-mile toll road averages $40 million a year.