The state law that purported to approve the toll of this road required a vote from the county commissions. This was a democrat amendment to the Republican bill (both counties are majority Republican, especially Putnam) which would have required a referendum. IMHO, the referendum would have failed.
This is a different plan than that put forth previously. There is a 13 mile gap left "unfunded" (whatever that means). From the junction with the "Toyota Bridge" north to 6 miles below Point Pleasant. The Turnpike Commission will build that section, but will toll the ENTIRE road. It purports to place a toll on the already open and paid for section between WV 34 and the Toyota Bridge, thus getting a $4 per day toll ($2 each way) on probably 85% of the workers at the huge TMMWV plant (or, more likely, shift that traffic onto the old roads on either side of the river, both of which would be fine without the truck traffic found on 35).
Thus you would have, as with the originial WV Turnpike, a road fully paid by ordinary fuel tax revenue, being tolled. And it would carry, as it already does, a US designation, US 35. Thus 13 miles of construction will carry a whopping toll of $4 (two $2 tolls, one on the completed current freeway just north of WV 34 and one on the too be built section, collected just at the beginning of that secton ("beginning" defined via southbound). BTW built to corridor standards, making it "shunpikeable" on a rediculious basis.
Funding would be similar to the WV Turnpike, meaning tolls would subsidize Scamarack and the turnpike commission would purport to "donate" toll money to HS band trips, playground equipment, and to "invest" in penny pink sheet stocks. The WVSP would be paid to patrol the road (which they currently patrol, over patrol in fact) for free.
