CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Turnpike Authority plans to install 42 new cameras to get a closer look at its toll plazas.
Turnpike general manager Greg Barr said the authority already has cameras on the individual toll booths and a wide view of the entire plaza from up high. The new cameras will focus on a different angle.
“What we’re going to do is add them to the lanes to get a lane view,” Barr said. “It’s just 12 cameras per toll plaza.
“They help resolve questions of patrons and collectors. They’re good training aids for the collectors.”
At a cost of about $34,000, the cameras could end up saving the Parkways Authority major money in the long run.
“One accident, one lawsuit, can cost you $70,000, just the settlements and things,” Barr said. “So we look at this in a way many times to deter, defer, discourage people from claiming something that may have happened that didn’t.”
The cameras, which cost about $1,000 each, should be installed sometime this fall. They can save data for up to a month.