High Occupancy Toll lanes are scheduled to open by the end of the year, leaving transportation officials with the task of educating drivers about what they are and how to use them.
They started this week with a new name for the lanes. Instead of HOT lanes, the 14-mile stretch of the Capital Beltway between Springfield at Dulles Toll Road will simply be called 495 Express Lanes.
Update:
At 4 p.m. today the Virginia Department of Transportation closed a structurally deficient bridge on Blackburn Road in Woodbridge. The road is closed between Rippon Boulevard and Wentworth Lane.
Update Tuesday noon:
Monday’s wet snow halted plans to move a pedestrian bridge into place near Butler Road in Stafford County. Officials said they are waiting for the ground to freeze once more before they can install the bridge.
Metro is working on its continuing effort to rebuild its system this weekend, prompting some changes to your commute if you’re headed to Washington during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
Track work will be conducted on the system’s Blue and Orange lines, closing the Federal Center and Capitol South stations.
The commuter railroad is out with its proposed $88.7 million fiscal year 2013 operating budget that requires not only the approval of the VRE Operations Board but also the local jurisdictions that fund the service, like Prince William and Stafford counties.
The fare increase would equal about 30 cents more on the railroad’s most expensive fares, which now are $10.30 if the train is taken from Fredericksburg to Washington’s Union Station, $8.45 if ridden from Manassas to Washington.
Paving work is being performed to improve the roadway surface on the bridge approaches in Stafford, as well as repair pothole patching on the bridge.
Work will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Update:
Butler Road will not close on Thursday. Officials announced late Wednesday afternoon delivery of the bridges for the Ferry Farm – Belmont Trail will take place between 2:30 and 3 a.m. Thursday, not later in the day as was originally scheduled.
Stafford, VA – Butler Road will be closed for a short time period on Thursday, December 29, as two large bridges are delivered to the construction site of Phase 3 of the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail at St. Clair Brooks Park. The delivery is scheduled for Thursday between 9 a.m. and noon. Butler Road will be closed for a short time period within that time frame.
Update 3 p.m.
There were no injuries in a crash on I-95 north this afternoon.
Woodbridge, Va. – If you take OmniRide or OmniLink commuter buses to work or school, the holidays will bring changes to their normal schedules.
See those changes and get more info by clicking here.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will give drivers their own Christmas gift this year: the suspension of most lane closures and opening the HOV lanes to all traffic.
Lane closures will not in place starting noon Friday through noon Tuesday, Dec. 27, and again from noon Dec. 30 until Tuesday, Jan. 3 for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends.
