The arrival of the new year has hit Northern Virginia commuters hard in the pocketbook, with Dulles Toll Road increases taking effect on New Year’s Day and new parking meter changes in downtown DC.

Image courtesy of DDOT

Commuters are now paying $1 at the main toll plaza and 75 cents at on and off ramps – up 25 cents from last year. The increase, approved by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in November, will help pay for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail extension project to Dulles International Airport.

The following New Year’s Days will bring further increases, as the MWAA board also approved 25-cent increases at the main gate in 2011 and 2012.

In downtown DC, drivers in many areas are now paying $2 per hour at parking meters, up from $1 previously, and they’re required to pay until 10 p.m. and on Saturdays for the first time. The rules apply to the district’s Premium Demand zones, but we like Dcist.com’s advice:
Don’t assume anything about the existing rules when you park at a meter. Always check the signage to make sure you’re in compliance.

For more information on DC parking meter changes, visit the District Department of Transportation.

New Challenge Looms for HOT Lanes

As the I-95/I-395 HOT Lanes project languishes in federal court, Alexandria Delegate David Englin has introduced legislation in the state assembly to require state transportation officials to conduct an environmental study of the project route before the public-private partnership moves forward.

Arlington officials last summer sued state and federal transportation officials over the same issue, saying that the project was moving forward without considering the environmental impacts on surrounding jurisdictions.

The lawsuit is on hold as the parties attempt to negotiate a settlement, according to the Sun Gazette.

According to VDOT, the 56-mile project would expand the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95/395 from two to three lanes and extend two new lanes south to Massaponax. All of these lanes will become High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes – meaning buses and carpools with three or more people can continue to use the lanes for free, while non-HOV motorists can choose to pay a toll to access the lanes.

Toll prices will be based on demand. They will change throughout the day according to real-time traffic conditions to manage the number of cars in the HOT lanes and keep them congestion free – even during rush hour.

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.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will hold its final public meeting on proposed toll rate increases on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at South Lakes High School in Reston.

The meeting takes place 5-8 p.m. and will include exhibits on the scope, cost and financing of the Dulles Rail extension; potential future Toll Road improvements; revenue anticipated to be raised from the toll increases and how it will be spent.

While there will be no opportunity to speak publicly (there will be no microphone), attendees can fill out a comment sheet or talk to a court reporter. You also can file your comments online through Sept. 14 at http://www.mwaa.com/tollroad/tolls_fees/toll_process/tollcomments.

The proposal calls for raising the the rate at the Main Toll Plaza from $.75 to $1.00 in January 2010, to $1.25 in 2011 and to $1.50 in 2012. Ramp rates will be increased from $.50 to $.75 in 2010, and remain at $.75 through 2012.

I-95/I-395 HOT Lanes On Hold

Rendering of proposed HOT lanes

Faced with an Arlington County lawsuit and the economic downturn, Virginia officials havea postponed a project to create high occupancy toll lanes on Interstates 95 and 395.

The project would expand existing HOV lanes from two to three lanes on the interstates, and extend two new lanes south to Massaponax. All the lanes would become HOT lanes, which would allow buses and carpools with three or more people free access but require other drivers to pay a toll that would vary according to traffic conditions.

Though the project’s total cost has not yet been determined, Virginia officials have determined that the state wouldn’t be able to borrow enough money to fund the project, according to a Washington Business Journal report.

The project also has faced opposition from affected jurisdictions, including Arlington County, which is suing over concerns about air pollution from the increased traffic, according to the Washington Post.

Dulles Rail Project Receives Stimulus Funds

Tysons West Metro Station rendering

The Dulles corridor Metrorail project is receiving $77.2 million in stimulus funds, which will be used to speed up the construction timeline and decrease finance costs, according to media reports.

The funds are part of $6.7 billion that will be used to improve transportation throughout the country under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The $5.25 billion Dulles Metrorail project is extending the Orange Line after East Falls Church into Loudoun. Currently, construction has begun to prepare for the Tysons East Metrorail Station at the southwest corner of Route 23, and several major traffic routes on Route 7 are being altered.

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

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.

Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters explained that this turn of events is not only a historical turning point for funding highway projects, but also for the thousands of frustrated DC area drivers.

Transurban and Fluor Enterprises, two private companies, will finance, operate and maintain the express lanes. Facility revenues will be used to repay the $589 million in private activity bonds as well as a $589 million U.S. DOT direct loan. The public-private partnership will also receive significant resources by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This funding, issued by the non-profit Capital Beltway Funding Corporation, is part of an estimated $1.9 billion finance package to fund the 14 mile project. The congestion-relief plan will add a HOT lane on each side of the Capital Beltway between Georgetown Pike and The Springfield Interchange by 2012. The two existing middle lanes will then become variable-priced HOT lanes depending on traffic volume.