Virginia HOT lanes
Virginia HOT lanes | |
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Highway names | |
Interstates | Interstate X (I-X) |
US Highways | U.S. Route X (US X) |
State | State Route X (SR X) or Virginia Route X (VA X) |
System links | |
Virginia HOT lanes refers to six separate projects in the U.S. state of
495 Express Lanes
Location | Springfield Interchange to Georgetown Pike |
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Length | 13.09 mi (21.07 km) |
South of Dulles Corridor
The 495 Express Lanes, also known as the E-ZPass Express Lanes, are a 14-mile (23 km) segment of I-495 extending from the Springfield Interchange to a point north of the Dulles Toll Road. The project began when Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) signed an agreement with Fluor Corporation and Transurban in April 2005 to create HO/T lanes between Springfield and Georgetown Pike. A contract was finalized on December 20, 2007, and construction began in the summer of 2008.[1]
During construction, the existing eight-lane (four lanes per carriageway) Beltway was widened to a 12-lane facility consisting of four general-purpose lanes per side and two high-occupancy/toll express lanes per side located to the left of the general-purpose lanes. Construction required replacement of more than 50 overpasses and bridges and the reconstruction of ten interchanges.
The lanes opened on November 17, 2012.[4] Buses, motorcycles, and vehicles with three or more people are able to use the express lanes for free; other vehicles must pay a toll. The toll rates change dynamically according to traffic conditions, which in turn regulates demand for the lanes and keep them operating at high speeds. Tolls are collected solely via electronic means using E-ZPass transponders. No cash toll booths are offered. Motorcycles always travel for free and do not require a transponder. All other vehicles must have a transponder; in order to travel free, these vehicles need an E-ZPass Flex switchable transponder so the driver can indicate whether the vehicle qualifies for free passage.[5] There are 11 entry/exit points to the lanes.[6] State Police positioned at toll plazas are notified electronically if a vehicle is using the EZ-Pass Flex in HOV mode. If the officer suspects the vehicle does not meet the occupancy requirement, they will stop the vehicle and verify. First time HOV violators in Northern Virginia face a minimum $125 fine, with the fine doubling (and 3 demerit points added to the driver's record) for each subsequent offense.[7]
The speed limit on the lanes was increased from 55 mph to 65 mph on June 24, 2013, after a VDOT study concluded an increase would not pose a safety risk.[8] Transportation officials said they always expected the speed limit to be increased, but they needed to open the lanes with a 55 mph speed limit to observe how the lanes operated and to assess whether the limit could be increased.[9]
North of Dulles Corridor
In March 2022, VDOT and Transurban commenced on a two and a half mile northern extension of the I-495 HOT lanes from VA 267 to just south of the American Legion Memorial Bridge (4-4 to 4-2-2-4 configuration).[10] A new flyover is to be constructed to connect eastbound VA 267 with the northbound HOT Lanes, and an exit and entry ramp are to be constructed to enable access from the HOT lanes to the George Washington Memorial Parkway.[11] The collector distributor lane on southbound I 495 from the parkway to VA 193 (Georgetown Pike) will reconstructed, and the underpasses at VA 267 and Scott Run, and the overpasses at Lewinsville Road, Old Dominion Drive, VA 193, and the parkway will be rebuilt as well. VA 193 will be widened within the vicinity of its interchange with the Beltway. The express lanes are expected to be opened to the public in late 2025, and the project itself is expected to be completed on 2026.[10]
95 Express Lanes
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Length | 36.8 mi (59.2 km) |
The 95 Express Lanes project is a separate public-private partnership to construct and operate HO/T lanes on a 29-mile (47 km) portion of the existing reversible HOV-3 facility on I-95 and I-395. The project included construction of a nine-mile (14 km) extension of the
Road improvements included:
- Making improvements to the existing two HOV lanes for six miles (9.7 km) from Route 234 to the Prince William Parkway.
- Widening the existing reversible carriageway from two lanes to three lanes for 14 miles (23 km) from the Prince William Parkway to approximately two miles (3.2 km) north of the Springfield Interchange in the vicinity of Edsall Road.
- Adding new or improved access points in the areas of Garrisonville Road, Joplin Road, Prince William Parkway, Fairfax County Parkway (Virginia State Route 289), I-495, and in the vicinity of Edsall Road.
- VDOT advanced plans to construct a new ramp at I-395 and Seminary Road for the Mark Center, concurrent with (but separate from) the HO/T lanes project. The ramp opened to traffic in early 2016.
- VDOT also expanded park-and-ride lots and funded other local transit improvements to maximize the benefit of the new HO/T lanes network.
- VDOT advanced studies to support the ultimate extension of HO/T lanes on I-95 south of Route 610 into Spotsylvania County.[13] The extension opened to traffic in late 2023.
- VDOT plans to construct a new ramp at VA 642 (Opitz Boulevard).[14] Projected cost for the construction is $69.7 million.
The original proposal was for the lanes to extend the entire length of the then-existing HOV facility, reaching the
Since the original portion of the HOV facility opened in the 1970s, an informal car pool system called "slugging"[17] has evolved around the reversible lanes. Drivers of cars with only one or two passengers stop at designated points and pick up strangers in order to meet the HOV-3 requirement. Members of the slugging community contended that if the HO/T lanes were extended all the way to Washington, passenger utilization of the reversible lanes might decline if drivers chose to pay HO/T tolls instead of picking up passengers from slug lines. The impact on the slug lines was not addressed by VDOT or its private sector vendors in the original proposal.
On November 2019, construction began to extend the I-95 HO/T lanes south from their original terminus at Exit 143, VA 610 near Aquia to Exit 133, US 17 near Fredericksburg. It also adds a collector distributor lane system from the express lanes southern terminus at the US 17 interchange to VA 3 in Fredericksburg, requiring the reconstruction of I-95's crossing at the Rappahanock River. The project also added three access points: one south of VA 610 in Garrisonbille, one at Old Courthouse Road in Stafford, and one at US 17. express lanes are complete as of December 2023, and the rest of the project is be completed by Spring 2024.
As of Summer 2022, construction is underway to construct a new ramp from the HO/T lanes to VA 642 (Opitz Boulevard) near Woodbridge.[18]
395 Express Lanes
Location | Interstate 95 to Washington, D.C. |
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Length | 9.8 mi (15.8 km) |
The 395 Express Lanes project extended the I-95/I-395 HO/T lanes approximately eight miles (13 km) to the north from the "Turkeycock" ramp complex north of Edsall Road to the District of Columbia line. As with the I-95 project discussed above, construction involved widening the two existing reversible lanes to a three-lane reversible roadway and making changes to the interchange closest to the Pentagon in order to reduce traffic backups. In addition, the approach to the inbound (towards DC) Rochambeau Bridge span at the 14th Street Bridge (widely known locally as the "HOV bridge"), which was previously open to all traffic without restriction, was added to the HO/T operations at all times in order to prevent general-purpose traffic from congesting the northern terminus of the express lanes. Traffic leaving the District of Columbia is not subject to the same restriction and may use the express roadway toll-free up to, and including, the Eads Street/Pentagon exit.[19][20]
The I-395 HO/T lanes operate in the same manner as the I-95 lanes.[19][20] The express lanes opened on November 17, 2019.[21]
66 Express Lanes
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Length | 9.1 mi (14.6 km) |
Inside the Beltway
The
The peak periods of these lanes, to maintain a minimum average speed of 45 mph (70 km/h), are:
- Monday through Friday 5:30–9:30 am (eastbound)
- Monday through Friday 3:00–7:00 pm (westbound)
During peak periods, if drivers carpool with three or more people (HOV-3), they can travel on I-66 during rush hours for free with an E-ZPass Flex set to HOV mode to travel toll-free. [24]
This is the first time single-occupancy vehicles are permitted to use I-66 inside the Beltway during rush hours, as the road has been subject to HOV restrictions since it opened in 1982.[25]
Location | US 29 in Gainesville to Interstate 495 in Tysons |
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Length | 22.5 mi (36.2 km) |
Outside the Beltway
I-66 Outside the Beltway is a project that started construction in 2018, which aims to ease congestion along the corridor, ease gridlock at its most heavily used interchanges, and provide more ways to travel along the corridor. The project was completed in 2022. It runs west from the Capital Beltway to US-29 in Gainesville for 22.5 miles (36.2 km). Changes that are made along the corridor are:
- Add two express lanes in each direction
- Provide access to the express lanes along the corridor and at interchanges
- Reconfigure challenging interchanges
- Provide sound walls and pedestrian/bike pathways
- Add new Park and Ride lots along the corridor
The new express lanes operate like the 495 Express Lanes, with E-ZPass required to use the lanes for all vehicles other than motorcycles. Carpoolers need an E-ZPass Flex and 3 or more people in the vehicle to travel free. However, large vehicles, such as trucks or vehicles with more than two axles (buses ride free) will be able to use the lanes at 3 times the price during non-rush hour periods and weekends, and 5 times the price during peak hours.[26] Large vehicles are still not permitted to use any other express lanes unless explicitly posted.[27][28][29]
I-64 Express Lanes
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Length | 8.4 mi (13.5 km) |
The I-64 Express Lanes are a
Operating Hours are:
- Monday through Friday 5:00–9:00 am (westbound)
- Monday through Friday 2:00–6:00 pm (eastbound)
At all other times, the express lanes will be open to all traffic, like they are today. Heavy tucks will be prohibited on the express lanes, limited to vehicles with two axles; buses, motorcycles, and carpools may ride for free. Carpoolers will also need an EZ-Pass Flex for toll-free travel during toll hours.
VDOT is proposing to extend the I-64 Express Lanes past the I-264 interchange to near the US-258 interchange. VDOT has also proposed to build new express lanes in each direction on the stretch from the I-664 interchange before the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel to the I-564 interchange.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2017) |
Gallery
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I-495 construction – July 2011
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I-495 construction – July 2011
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I-495 construction – July 2012
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I-495 construction – July 2012
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Sign advising of requirements of HO/T lanes
Notes
- ^ The form "HOT lanes" stands for "high-occupancy toll lanes" and is common in the media; accordingly, it is the name of this article to facilitate searches. However, because the lanes in question offer users the choice of satisfying an HOV restriction or else paying a toll, the more accurate name is "high-occupancy or toll lanes", or "HO/T lanes" (the slash denoting the option). This article uses the latter convention in the text for accuracy.
References
- ^ Craig, Tim (December 21, 2007). "Deals Clinched on HOT Lanes". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
- ^ "I-495 HOT Lanes". Virginia Megaprojects. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ "HOT Lanes: Will people be willing to pay for them?". WTOP-FM. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
- ^ "Express Lanes". Transurban (USA) Operations Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ "Learn the Lanes". Transurban (USA) Operations. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Using the Lanes". Transurban (USA) Operations. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^ "High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes: Rules and FAQs". Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ^ Speed Limit Increases On 495 Express Lanes In Northern Va. On June 24 Archived December 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Beltway Express Lanes speed limit raised to 65 mph
- ^ a b "495 Express Lanes Northern Extension :: Home". www.495northernextension.org. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "495 Express Lanes - Northern Extension Study :: Project Maps". www.495northernextension.org. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
- ^ "I-95 HOV/HOT Lanes". Virginia Megaprojects. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ "Virginia Advances New I-95 HOV/HOT Lanes Project and New Ramp to Seminary Road at Mark Center" (Press release). Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
- ^ "In Design: 95 Express Lanes/Opitz Boulevard Ramp in Prince William County | Virginia Department of Transportation". www.vdot.virginia.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Virginia Advances New I-95 HOV/HOT Lanes Project and New Ramp To Seminary Road at Mark Center" (Press release). Virginia Dept. of Transportation. February 3, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ New HOT lane plan for Virginia's I-95 corridor
- ^ "What are Sluglines". Sluglines.
- ^ "In Design: 95 Express Lanes/Opitz Boulevard Ramp in Prince William County | Virginia Department of Transportation". www.vdot.virginia.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Smith, Max (November 4, 2019). "Transurban: I-395 tolling will start Nov. 17 in Northern Va. - WTOP News". WTOP News. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ "Express Lanes on I-395 Open". Alexandria Living Magazine. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Gilgore, Sara (November 28, 2017). "I-66 toll lanes inside the Beltway start Monday. Here's everything you need to know". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "66 Express Lanes - Inside the Beltway :: About the Lanes". 66expresslanes.org. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Dynamically Tolled Express Lanes on I-66 Set to Open in December". Fairfax County Government NewsCenter. September 6, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ FAQs | 66 Express Lanes - Outside the Beltway
- ^ Transform 66 - Outside the Beltway
- ^ Interstate 66 Projecs - Projects | Virginia Department of Transportation
- ^ VDOT: Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway 2017