Transportation News

Dulles Toll Road Fees Increase

Come January 1st, drivers will be paying a quarter more at the main toll plaza of the Dulles Toll Road for a total of $1, then a quarter more each year in 2011 ($1.25) and 2012 ($1.50).

The doubling of the tolls became effective after The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority accepted staff recommendations and voted to increase fees at an MWAA board meeting on Nov. 4th. The money raised from the toll hikes will help pay for the $5.2 billion Dulles Metrorail project that will extend the Orange Line after East Falls Church into Loudoun.

In addition to increases at the main toll plaza, ramp rates will rise from 50 cents to 75 cents in 2010.

Fairfax Landowners Approve Metrorail Tax District

A majority of Fairfax County landowners affected by a proposal to create a special tax district to help fund the 23-mile Metro extension project into Loudoun have approved the plan, local media reported recently.

The nonprofit group Western Alliance for Rail to Dulles, announced in early October that 35 major landowners — who constitute 57 percent of those affected — signed a petition approving the tax.

The new tax district would pay for $330 million in capital funding for the project, according to the Washington Post. If approved by the Herndon Town Council and Fairfax Board of Supervisors, landowners will pay 5 cents per $100 of assessed value next year and then 20 cents in 2013.

HOT Lanes Project Faces More Opposition

Even as Virginia’s plan to create high-occupancy toll lanes along 56 miles of the I-95/I-395 languishes for lack of money, more area governments are signing on to challenge the project.

The Alexandria City Council recently approved a resolution  to “strongly oppose” the HOT lanes from the Petnagon to Massaponax in Spotsylvania County, citing potential noise, traffic and pollution concerns, the Washington Business Journal has reported. WBJ also has reported that although Prince William County has declined to join Arlington County’s lawsuit against the project, the county may file its own suit.

Transportation: Links Around Town

Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer will be kicking off this year’s Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance’s speakers program with a discussion on the state of transportation in Virginia.

Among the topics he’ll be covering: the current and projected fiscal health of our highway and transit programs, how federal stimulus dollars will be spent, when Virginia will start losing federal dollars for lack of state matching funds and whether there will be a Six-Year Improvement Program six years from now. Following the presentation, he’ll be taking questions on specific projects and other transportation issues.

The presentation takes place June 3 at the Center for Innovative Technology Auditorium in Herndon. For registration and other information, visit www.nvta.org.

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Phase 1 construction on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is now focusing on the Tysons Corner area, with tunnel and station foundation work beginning along Route 123.

While Dulles Transit Partners, the Phase 1 design-build contractor, has established a major construction operations center in the area, other contractors have completed more than 40 percent of the utility relocation work. Those contractors are placing the utilities underground along both sides of Route 7 as part of a project to widen the road from three to four lanes in each direction.

For updates on the project, visit www.dullesmetro.com.

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A recent survey found that while most metro Washington DC residents believe transportation is one of the top two challenges facing the region, they ranked transportation only 9th out of 16 issues that they would pay higher taxes to solve.

According to the survey of more than 1,300 residents, 54 percent chose transportation above economy/jobs and education/schools as the No. 1 or No. 2 challenge for the region. When asked to prioritize issues that the public wants to see addressed, respondents named higher quality public schools, safe streets and neighborhoods free of crime, and more good jobs as the top three priorities.

Calling the mixed message “one of the study’s most challenging findings,” the report’s executive summary concludes that “residents are not saying ‘do not solve it,’ but they are identifying a number of other pressing priorities that need greater attention in their view.”

The survey was released May 1 and conducted for the Greater Washington Coalition 2050, a group that includes government, business and civic leaders. For more information on the coalition, visit www.greaterwashington2050.org. To read the report in full, click on “News and Events” on the left menu.

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As construction continues on the I-495 HOT Lanes project, a recently released report outlines the tremendous economic benefits to Fairfax County, the Washington DC metro area, and the state of Virginia.

“The magnitude and significance of these economic impacts underscores the importance of the HOT Lanes project as a positive influence on local, area and state economies during these challenging economic times,” said Dr. Stephen S. Fuller, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis and author of the report.

The project includes two new lanes in each direction from the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road and the replacement of more than $260 million in aging infrastructure, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. This includes replacing more than 50 bridges, overpasses, and major interchanges.

For more information on the project and the report, visit http://virginiahotlanes.com/default.asp.