Virginia HOT lanes

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Virginia HOT lanes
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 Virginia. The first project, completed in November 2012, added high-occupancy/toll (HO/T) lanes [lower-alpha 1] to the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Fairfax County. The second project, opened to the public in December 2014, involved converting and extending the existing reversible high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95 and a portion of I-395 to HO/T lanes from Stafford to near Alexandria. The third project converted all lanes on I-66 inside the Beltway to peak-direction HO/T lanes, opening on December 4, 2017. The fourth project reconstructed approximately 21 miles (34 km) of I-66 outside the Beltway, making it a 10-lane corridor (five lanes in each direction—three general-purpose and two HO/T lanes). The fifth project, which was completed in November 2019, essentially extended the aforementioned I-95/I-395 project several miles to the north, converting the existing reversible HOV lanes on I-395 to HO/T lanes from near Alexandria to Washington, DC. The sixth project will convert the existing reversible HOV lanes to HO/T Lanes on Interstate 64 from Interstate 564 in Norfolk to Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach, and also propose to expand the I-64 express lanes before and after the HO/T Lanes. The seventh project, which is be completed by Spring 2024, extended I-95's HO/T lanes from VA 610 in Garrisonville to its northernmost interchange with US 17 and US 17 business in Falmouth. The eighth project, which is expected to be completed by 2026, will extend the Capital Beltway's (I-495) HO/T lanes two miles north from VA 267 in Tysons to the American Legion Memorial Bridge.

Contents

495 Express Lanes

I-495.svg

495 Express Lanes

Location Springfield Interchange to Georgetown Pike
Length13.09 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. [2] The project also added direct connections between the Capital Beltway and the I-95/I-395 HOV lanes. The project cost $1.4 billion and was controversial due to concerns over its cost-effectiveness and the environmental effects (such as surface runoff and use of parkland) of widening the Capital Beltway. [3]

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]

HOT Capital Beltway Panorama 4.jpg
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) Express Lanes under construction. At the left is the I-495 interchange with Route 123 and the elevated ramp access to the HO/T lanes from Route 123 (Tysons Corner), in Fairfax County, Virginia.

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 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

I-95.svg

95 Express Lanes

Location Fredericksburg, Virginia to Interstate 395
Length36.8 mi (59.2 km)
I-95 with reversible HO/T lanes in northern Virginia 2019-06-24 13 15 01 View south along Interstate 95 from the overpass for Virginia State Route 234 (Dumfries Road) just north of Dumfries in Prince William County, Virginia.jpg
I-95 with reversible HO/T lanes in northern Virginia

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 reversible lanes from their previous southern terminus near Virginia State Route 234 to Garrisonville Road (Route 610) in Stafford County. The project also added a third reversible lane within the carriageway's existing footprint from the Prince William Parkway (Virginia State Route 294) to the project's northern terminus between Duke Street (Virginia State Route 236) and Edsall Road, just south of the City of Alexandria limits; to the north of this point, the reversible facility continues to operate as it did prior to the high-occupancy/toll project. [12] The 95 Express Lanes began HO/T operations on December 29, 2014. The project had opened two weeks earlier and operated under the older HOV rules until tolling began.

Road improvements included:

The original proposal was for the lanes to extend the entire length of the then-existing HOV facility, reaching the District of Columbia. The plan faced opposition from Arlington County, which houses a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) stretch of I-395; the county filed a lawsuit demanding an environmental review of the proposal and contending the lanes would create congestion on streets traveling to and from I-395. In February 2011, VDOT said the lawsuit created a "detrimental" delay to the project, with Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton saying, "We can no longer wait to deliver congestion relief and new travel choices." [15] VDOT announced a modified plan that ends the HO/T lanes at Edsall Road in Fairfax County, avoiding the City of Alexandria and Arlington County. [15] [16] As a result, the three-lane portion of the reversible carriageway, and the HO/T rules, ended just north of Edsall Road. North of that point, the reversible lanes continued to operate under the pre-existing rules imposing an HOV-3 restriction during peak hours, allowing all traffic at other times, and not requiring an E-ZPass. Drivers paying the HO/T lane tolls with fewer than three people in a vehicle were not permitted to use the reversible lanes all the way into Washington during the morning rush hour and instead had to exit the reversible lanes at a new ramp north of Edsall Road constructed as part of the HO/T project; similarly, during the afternoon rush hour toll-payers with fewer than three people in a vehicle were not permitted to enter the reversible lanes north of that same location. These restrictions changed in November 2019 when the HO/T system was extended north along I-395 to the Potomac River.

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

I-395.svg

395 Express Lanes

Location Interstate 95 to Washington, D.C.
Length9.8 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

I-66.svg

66 Express Inside the Beltway

Location Interstate 495 in Tysons to US 29 in Rosslyn
Length9.1 mi (14.6 km)

Inside the Beltway

The Interstate 66 Express lanes began operation on December 4, 2017. [22] Unlike the other HO/T projects, the I-66 Inside the Beltway project uses existing infrastructure to provide multimodal ways of travel along the nine-mile (14 km) segment between US-29 in Rosslyn and I-495 (the Capital Beltway). It allows drivers to pay the toll, use the road, Carpool or Vanpool with an E-ZPass Flex, or use Public Transportation. Hybrid vehicles, vehicles with Clean Special Fuel license plates, and people traveling to and from Dulles International Airport are no longer exempt from restrictions and must either pay the toll or satisfy the HOV rules. Motorcycles and vehicles carrying three or more people are eligible for free travel. [23] These lanes are free to all drivers during off-peak periods and weekends.

The peak periods of these lanes, to maintain a minimum average speed of 45 mph (70 km/h), are:

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]

I-66.svg

66 Express Outside the Beltway

Location US 29 in Gainesville to Interstate 495 in Tysons
Length22.5 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:

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

I-64.svg

I-64 Express Lanes

Location Interstate 564 in Norfolk to Interstate 264 near Virginia Beach
Length8.4 mi (13.5 km)

The I-64 Express Lanes are a public-private partnership between TransCore and VDOT to convert the eight-mile (13 km) stretch of existing HOV lanes to rush-hour toll lanes.

Operating Hours are:

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.

Notes

  1. 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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 66</span> Interstate in Virginia and DC

Interstate 66 (I-66) is a 76.32 mile east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. The highway runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washington, D.C., at the eastern terminus. Much of the route parallels US 29 or State Route 55 (SR 55) in Virginia. I-66 has no physical or historical connection to US 66, which was located in a different region of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 267</span> Highway in Virginia

State Route 267 is a freeway in the US state of Virginia. It consists of two end-to-end toll roads – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway – as well as the non-tolled Dulles Access Road, which lies in the median of Dulles Toll Road and then extends east to Falls Church. The combined roadway provides a toll road for commuting and a free road for access to Washington Dulles International Airport. The three sections are operated and maintained by separate agencies: Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road are maintained by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA); the Dulles Greenway is owned by TRIP II, a limited partnership, but is maintained by Atlas Arteria, an Australian company which owns the majority stake in the partnership. The Dulles Access Road's median hosts the Silver Line of the Washington Metro between the airport and Tysons.

E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencies in several states, which use the same technology and allow travelers to use the same transponder on toll roads throughout the network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Beltway</span> Highway in the Washington metropolitan area

The Capital Beltway is a 64-mile (103 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside the Beltway", used when referring to issues dealing with US federal government and politics. The highway is signed as Interstate 495 (I-495) for its entire length, and its southern and eastern half runs concurrently with I-95.

The Hampton Roads Beltway is a loop of Interstate 64 and Interstate 664, which links the communities of the Virginia Peninsula and South Hampton Roads which surround the body of water known as Hampton Roads and comprise much of the region of the same name in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. It crosses the harbor of Hampton Roads at two locations on large four-laned bridge-tunnel facilities: the eastern half carries Interstate 64 and uses the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the western half carries Interstate 664 and uses the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. The beltway has the clockwise direction signed as the Inner Loop, and the counter-clockwise direction signed as the Outer Loop. The entire beltway, including the bridge-tunnels, is owned and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 295 (Maryland–District of Columbia)</span> Highway in the Washington DC area

Interstate 295 (I-295) in the US state of Maryland and in Washington, D.C., also known as the Anacostia Freeway, is a six-mile (9.7 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway connecting I-95/I-495 and Maryland Route 210 near the Potomac River to I-695 and District of Columbia Route 295 (DC 295) in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in downtown Richmond. VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges, and tunnels in the commonwealth. It is overseen by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which has the power to fund airports, seaports, rail, and public transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 395 (Virginia–District of Columbia)</span> Interstate Highway in the DC area

Interstate 395 (I-395) in Washington, D.C., and Virginia is a 13.79-mile-long (22.19 km) spur route of I-95 that begins at an interchange with I-95 in Springfield and ends at an interchange with US Route 50 (US 50) in Northwest Washington, D.C. It passes underneath the National Mall near the US Capitol and ends at a junction with US 50 at New York Avenue, roughly one mile (1.6 km) north of the 3rd Street Tunnel. Despite its proximity to I-395 in Maryland, the route is unrelated and unconnected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway</span>

The Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway, often shortened to Shirley Highway, consists of a 17.3-mile (27.8 km) portion of Interstates 95 and 395 in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Shirley Highway was the first limited-access freeway in Virginia. Begun in 1941, the road was completed from U.S. Route 1 in Colchester, Virginia, just north of Woodbridge, to the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River between Virginia and Washington, D.C. in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 264 (Virginia)</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 264 (I-264) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. It serves as the primary east–west highway through the South Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia. The route connects the central business districts of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach and serves as the most direct link between those cities and the resort beaches along Virginia's Atlantic coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 76</span>

State Route 76 is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as the Powhite Parkway, the state highway runs 13.04 miles (20.99 km) from SR 652 near Midlothian north to Interstate 195 (I-195) in Richmond. SR 76 connects SR 288, U.S. Route 60, and SR 150 in Chesterfield County with I-195 and SR 195 west of Downtown Richmond. The highway includes a pair of mainline barrier toll plazas and ramp toll plazas at most interchanges, all of which accept E-ZPass. SR 76 is maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in Chesterfield County and the Richmond Metropolitan Authority in the city of Richmond. The Richmond section of the freeway was constructed in the early 1970s; the highway was extended to its current terminus in Chesterfield County in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 895</span> State highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 895, also known as the Pocahontas Parkway and Pocahontas 895, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Virginia. It connects the junction of Interstate 95 and State Route 150 in Chesterfield County with Interstate 295 near Richmond International Airport in Henrico County, forming part of a southeastern bypass of Richmond. Due to a quirk in the evolution of the road, the long-planned designation of Interstate 895 could not be used.

E-ZPass Minnesota, formerly MnPass, is the brand name associated with a series of high occupancy toll lanes and electronic toll collection (ETC) system in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area of Minnesota. The lanes and the ETC system are owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and fully compatible with the multi-state E-ZPass network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia State Route 123</span> State highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 123 or Virginia State Route 123 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 29.27 miles (47.11 km) from U.S. Route 1 in Woodbridge north to the Chain Bridge across the Potomac River into Washington from Arlington. It goes by four local names. From its southern terminus to the Occoquan River Bridge, it is known as Gordon Boulevard. From the Occoquan River Bridge to the city of Fairfax it is known as Ox Road. From Fairfax until it enters the Town of Vienna, it is known as Chain Bridge Road. Then, as it passes through the Town of Vienna, it is known as Maple Avenue. After leaving the Town of Vienna, the name reverts to Chain Bridge Road, and continues this way until the intersection with I-495 in Tysons. Between Tysons and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, it is known as Dolley Madison Boulevard. After crossing over the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the name once again reverts to Chain Bridge Road and continues this way until the end of the road, at Chain Bridge. SR 123 is a partial circumferential highway in Northern Virginia that connects Woodbridge in eastern Prince William County with the independent city of Fairfax and the Fairfax County communities of Vienna, Tysons, and McLean, the last being the home of the National Counterterrorism Center and the Central Intelligence Agency. The state highway also connects all of the major highways that radiate from Washington, including Interstate 95 (I-95), I-66, US 29, US 50, SR 267, and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Furthermore, SR 123 crosses another pair of circumferential highways, I-495 and the Fairfax County Parkway, and SR 7, a major northwest–southeast highway through Northern Virginia. The state highway is a part of the National Highway System for its entire length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Interchange</span> Mixing Bowl

The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, is the interchange of Interstate 95, Interstate 395, and Interstate 495 in Springfield, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. The interchange is located at exit 57 on the Capital Beltway, exit 170 on I-95, and exit 1 on I-395.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 95 in Virginia</span> Interstate Highway in Virginia

Interstate 95 (I-95) runs 179 miles (288 km) within the commonwealth of Virginia between its borders with North Carolina and Maryland. I-95 meets the northern terminus of I-85 in Petersburg and is concurrent with I-64 for three miles (4.8 km) in Richmond. Although I-95 was originally planned as a highway through Washington, D.C., it was rerouted along the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway concurrent with I-495. From Petersburg to Richmond, I-95 utilized most of the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike, a former toll road. In addition to Richmond, the route also runs through the medium-sized cities of Emporia, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 95 in Maryland</span> Interstate Highway in Maryland

Interstate 95 (I-95) is an Interstate Highway running along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canada–United States border at Houlton, Maine. In Maryland, the route is a major highway that runs 110.01 miles (177.04 km) diagonally from southwest to northeast, entering from the District of Columbia and Virginia at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River, northeast to Maryland's border with Delaware near Elkton. It is the longest Interstate Highway within Maryland and is one of the most traveled Interstate Highways in the state, especially between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., despite alternate routes along the corridor, such as the Baltimore–Washington Parkway, U.S. Route 1 (US 1), and US 29. I-95 also has eight auxiliary routes in the state, the most of any state along the I-95 corridor. Portions of the highway, including the Fort McHenry Tunnel and the Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge, are tolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 64 in Virginia</span> Highway in Virginia

Interstate 64 (I-64) in the US state of Virginia runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, for a total of 299 miles (481 km). From the West Virginia state line to Chesapeake, it passes through the major cities of Lexington, Staunton, Charlottesville, the state capital of Richmond, Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel (HRBT), the first bridge–tunnel to incorporate artificial islands, concurrent with U.S. Route 60 (US 60). Also noteworthy is a section through Rockfish Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was equipped with an innovative system of airport-style runway lighting embedded into the pavement to aid motorists during periods of poor visibility due to fog or other conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-occupancy toll lane</span> Traffic lane or roadway on which high-occupancy vehicles are exempt from tolls

A high-occupancy toll lane is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response to demand. Unlike toll roads, drivers have an option to use general purpose lanes, on which a fee is not charged. Express toll lanes, which are less common, operate along similar lines, but do not exempt high-occupancy vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franconia–Springfield Parkway</span>

The Franconia–Springfield Parkway is a short east–west spur near the south end of the Fairfax County Parkway, leading east through Springfield and serving the Franconia–Springfield Metro station. While SR 286 has access to the main lanes of I-95, SR 289 interchanges with the reversible HOV lanes in the median of I-95.

References

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  3. "HOT Lanes: Will people be willing to pay for them?". WTOP-FM . Retrieved March 1, 2010.
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  5. "Learn the Lanes". Transurban (USA) Operations. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  6. "Using the Lanes". Transurban (USA) Operations. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
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  8. Speed Limit Increases On 495 Express Lanes In Northern Va. On June 24 Archived December 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Beltway Express Lanes speed limit raised to 65 mph
  10. 1 2 "495 Express Lanes Northern Extension :: Home". www.495northernextension.org. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
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  15. 1 2 "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.
  16. New HOT lane plan for Virginia's I-95 corridor
  17. "What are Sluglines". Sluglines.
  18. "In Design: 95 Express Lanes/Opitz Boulevard Ramp in Prince William County | Virginia Department of Transportation". www.vdot.virginia.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  19. 1 2 Smith, Max (November 4, 2019). "Transurban: I-395 tolling will start Nov. 17 in Northern Va. - WTOP News". WTOP News. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Opening date of 395 Express Lanes now set for Nov. 17". Washington Post. November 4, 2019. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  21. "Express Lanes on I-395 Open". Alexandria Living Magazine. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
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  24. "66 Express Lanes - Inside the Beltway :: About the Lanes". 66expresslanes.org. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  25. "Dynamically Tolled Express Lanes on I-66 Set to Open in December". Fairfax County Government NewsCenter. September 6, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  26. FAQs | 66 Express Lanes - Outside the Beltway
  27. Transform 66 - Outside the Beltway
  28. Interstate 66 Projecs - Projects | Virginia Department of Transportation
  29. VDOT: Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway 2017