Virginia transportation officials for the first time Tuesday announced the price tag for the proposed High Occupancy Toll lanes on Interstate 95, and said they’re close to a deal to begin construction.
The lanes are expected to cost taxpayers $97 million, and the private firm that will construct and operate the lanes, Fluor-Transurban, $843 million. While all of the workings of a final public-private transportation contract are in place, the state and the private firm have yet to sign the deal but say it, along with the first phases of construction, could begin as early as spring.
“Virginia recognizes it must get the most out of its existing transportation assets and find innovative solutions to move people and freight more efficiently,” said Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton. “With HOT lanes on both the Beltway and I-95, we will create a region-wide network of managed lanes that will enable travelers to get to and from some of Virginia’s most important employment centers and military sites.”
The planned lanes will stretch from Va. 610 in North Stafford to Edsall Road in Alexandria just inside the Capital Beltway, with project calling for the conversion of the existing HOV lanes between Dumfries and Alexandria to toll lanes. An additional two HOT lanes will be constructed from Dumfries to North Stafford, making for a nearly 30-mile transportation facility.
Original plans called for the HOT lanes to continue to the Pentagon, but Arlington officials sued and called the plan short-sighted, forcing state officials in February to acquiesce.
Electronic EZ Passes will be used in lieu of booths to collect tolls, which will vary depending upon traffic congestion in the lanes. Electronic signs will posted along the HOT lanes corridor with current toll rates so drivers can decided whether or not they want to use the facility.
Vehicles with three or more occupants will be able to use the lanes for free as they currently do on the current I-95/395 HOV system.
The new lane will come with an additional $200 million to expand bus service in Fairfax, Prince William, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, as well as 3,000 new commuter parking spaces, officials said. The lanes will be operated by Fluor-Transurban for 73 years and then will be handed back over the state, according to the agreement.
Similar HOT lanes are currently being built on the Beltway from Springfield to Dulles Toll Road, and are scheduled to open late next year.
