TURNPIKE TRAFFIC TAKING BIG DROP - Economy-Gas Prices Cutting Traffic

(04/28/2011)
It's a sign of the times, and the high price of gasoline.

A report says that 198,000 fewer vehicles traveled the 88-mile WV Turnpike toll road between April 1 and April 24, a 7.9 percent decrease from the same period in 2010.

Toll revenue dropped by $576,000.

Passenger traffic declined by 7.4 percent, while tractor-trailer traffic dropped by 9.5 percent.

For the year to date, overall traffic is down by 1.9 percent.

General Manager Greg Barr says the drop in tractor-trailer traffic is more troubling because it's an indicator of the health of the economy.