Update 10:50 a.m.
With HOT lanes on Interstate 395 now out of the overall picture, Virginia state transportation officials now have their eyes set on the prospect of HOT lanes on the 29-mile stretch of I-95, between North Stafford and Alexandria.
As part of the deal, the two reversible lanes High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on I-95 at Dumfries Road (Va. 234) will be extended to Garrisonville Road (Va. 610) in North Stafford, new access points from the lanes to Va. 610, Joplin Road (Va. 619), Prince William Parkway, Fairfax County Parkway, Franconia-Springfield Parkway, I-495 and Edsall Road will be added.
And as the HOV lanes are converted into toll lanes, they will be restriped to include a third lane from Prince William Parkway to Edsall Road.
Additionally, The Virginia Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to construct a ramp from the HOV lanes to Seminary Road in Alexandria, at the site of the massive federal building that has been constructed as part of the military’s BRAC relocation.
This decision is good one for commuters in Stafford County, says Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman L. Mark Dudenhefer.
“We have to do something, and everyday traffic gets worse. When we look outside right now there is a possibility that we could remember these days as the good days when it comes to getting around,” said Dudenhefer. “If this is all the state is going to give us – tolls – we need to move out and grow smartly.”
If constructed, vehicles with three or more passengers, buses and hybrid cars will still be able to use the lanes for free – something Dudenhefer staunchly supports.
He added he is pleased with plans to extend two reversible lanes from Dumfries to Va. 610, as for the three years he’s argued to get two lanes – one more than what the original plan called for.
North Stafford , Va. — High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstate 395 may not be built, but similar lanes on I-95 remain in question.
The Washington Post reports Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton is expected to announce today the state will scrap plans to convert HOV lanes on I-395 to toll lanes.
Arlington County fought the proposed plan to the tune $1.5 million in legal fees, according to ARLnow.com.
But the state still plans to look at transportation improvements between Garrisonville Road (Va. 610) in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Alexandria. Those improvements could come in the form of toll lanes, after an environmental study is complete.
Any HOT lanes that would be built from Stafford County north would link to HOT lanes now being built on the Capital Beltway, from Springfield to Dulles Toll Road.
Those lanes are expected to open sometime late next year.
