Transportation Links: Dulles Toll Rates to Rise
Drivers on the Dulles Toll Road will be paying an extra quarter at the main toll plaza come the New Year, the latest in a series of increases established to pay for the 23-mile Metrorail project extending the line from East Falls Church to the Dulles International Airport and beyond.
Effective Jan. 1, drivers of two-axle vehicles will pay $1.50; $1.75 for 3-axle vehicles; and $2 for 4-axle vehicles. Tolls at the ramps remain the same.
In other transportation news, construction on new I-95 HOT lanes could begin as early as spring following a recent agreement between Virginia and a private contractor.
According to the Washington Post, Fluor-Transurban will expand the existing HOV lanes on I-95 in northern Virginia from two to three, and extend the lanes into Stafford County.
More details from the Dec. 6 article published in WashingtonPost.com:
Fluor-Transurban would finance 90 percent of the $940 million project, with the rest of the money coming from the state. The contractor would recoup its investment by collecting the tolls under a deal that allows the contractor to operate the road for the next 73 years. Virginia officials said Fluor-Transurban assumes all of the risk if it cannot recoup its investment through tolls. If the tolls provide an unexpected windfall, the state will share in the extra revenue in a range of anywhere from 5 to 40 percent. …
Carpoolers could use the lanes for free, while solo riders would pay tolls to use the lanes. Toll rates will vary, with higher rates in place during rush hour. … Drivers who opt not to carpool or pay the tolls can use the regular highway lanes. …
In a conference call with reporters, Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton said there is no cap on how high the tolls could go. The tolls will be a pure function of market demand, he said; Fluor-Transurban is required under the contract to raise the tolls as high as necessary during peak times to ensure that traffic moves at least 55 mph in the HOT lanes.
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Northern Virginia gets new “Corridor of Statewide Significance”
The Commonwealth Transportation Board’s recent approval to designate a new “Corridor of Statewide Significance” that covers Northern Virginia has drawn mixed reviews from transportation advocacy groups and local county governments.
“This move is either recognition that north-south mobility is needed in a region that now moves on an east-west axis, or it’s an attempt to accelerate construction of a controversial parkway linking (Prince William and Loudoun) counties and ultimately connecting to new Potomac River bridges to create an outer Beltway around Washington,” according to a story in the Washington Post.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has supported the designation in the hopes that more attention and funds will be given to the issue of alleviating congestion in the area and improving north-south access to Washington Dulles International Airport.
“Still environmental groups, Loudoun County officials and some residents don’t want the beltway and oppose the designation, but Prince William County leaders and area business leaders say a north-south road is needed,” according to a story in Leesburg Today.
The revival of the Outer Beltway proposal, which is on the state’s long-range transportation map, is sure to generate debate in the weeks and months ahead. To keep up to date on the issue, sign up for free email updates at http://nvta.org/.
