Beltway HOT lanes to open Nov. 17th (Springfield, Lorton: safe, move to)

[FishSauce]

Originally Posted by ColonelStraker

The EZ-Pass flex has a monthly maintenance fee of 50 cents a month soon going up to $1.00.

16. What if I always use my transponder to carpool on the 495 Express Lanes??
Customers who obtain a Flex transponder solely for toll-free HOV usage on the 495 Express Lanes will have their monthly Flex Account Maintenance Fee of $1 waived for those months in which that transponder is used only on the 495 Express Lanes with 3 or more in the vehicle. If you do not use your Flex for a month you will still incur the $1 monthly fee.

[kevbros]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

It occurred to me last night while driving from 66 down the beltway to Route 1 that the construction of the past few years really is completed. Or am I missing something? With the exception of the Telegraph bridge and what they're doing on the Parkway near Spout Run, I can't think of any other major projects going on right now. So what's next? Roads around here are like airports: they're never finished.

What's next is I-95. More US infrastucture sold to Australia. But that is the last big one I know of. Everything else, including the Spout Run cliff project is wrapping up. So much for all that new stimulus spending.

[yamota]

How about HOT lanes on 66?

[farplaner]

Originally Posted by kevbros

What's next is I-95. More US infrastucture sold to Australia. But that is the last big one I know of. Everything else, including the Spout Run cliff project is wrapping up. So much for all that new stimulus spending.

You can track all the big road projects here:
Virginia Megaprojects

[roninsedge]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

It occurred to me last night while driving from 66 down the beltway to Route 1 that the construction of the past few years really is completed. Or am I missing something? With the exception of the Telegraph bridge and what they're doing on the Parkway near Spout Run, I can't think of any other major projects going on right now. So what's next? Roads around here are like airports: they're never finished.

As far as I know the next thing is the HOV lanes on non-beltway I-95. They are converting those to HOT lanes as well.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by roninsedge

As far as I know the next thing is the HOV lanes on non-beltway I-95. They are converting those to HOT lanes as well.

That makes more sense to me since I don't use them.

[ReblTeen84]

Originally Posted by roninsedge

As far as I know the next thing is the HOV lanes on non-beltway I-95. They are converting those to HOT lanes as well.

Admittedly I'm excited for this as well. It "shouldn't" affect normal HOV-3 drivers, but it'll give people who want to use the lanes the option (ignoring the transurban part, that's another discussion). I regularly use the HOV lanes on my motorcycle to get into Tysons, normally going up HOV to the Pentagon and then taking the GW. With the HOT lanes on 495 opening, I can skip that (and the traffic, it's murder on the clutch hand). It'll make the evening commute home easier as well, I can take HOT straight to HOV, and once the 95 HOT lanes open, maybe there will be less traffic after 6pm on the lanes since everyone stacks up at Springfield and you sit in traffic until around Lorton.

[roninsedge]

You and me both Rebl. I am usually hitting the HOV lanes around 6pm and it can be a pain. Once they go HOT, I will no longer worry about dealing with the post-6pm single drivers swamping onto the HOV/T lanes.

[bornindc]

Originally Posted by roninsedge

As far as I know the next thing is the HOV lanes on non-beltway I-95. They are converting those to HOT lanes as well.

I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been more outcry about turning the I-95 HOV lanes into toll lanes. I only occasionally use the HOV lanes south of 495, but I like the option of using them. They're already bought and paid for, but when converted to HOT lanes if you want to use them at off-rush, unrestricted times you will have to pay a toll. And all those people (even HOV users) will be forced to get EZPass. Kind of a raw deal for people that live south of Springfield if you ask me.

I'm just glad that Arlington refused VDOT's proposal to convert the I-395 HOV to HOT lanes, as I use these off-peak all the time.

[farplaner]

As far as I can see, the only people who are affected by the HOV conversion are hybrid drivers (and people who don't want to get an EZ pass). I'm sure most people wouldn't complain about that.