Virginia

[AlexandriaVA]

Unfortunately, Maryland still allows the locals to do automated speed and red light enforcement (but that is not as abusive as the Virginia municipal speed traps).

Funny...I've driven through Maryland countless times and I've never gotten a speeding ticket or red light violation ticket. Of course, I wasn't speeding or running red lights. The choice in the hands of the driver. And I choose not to break the laws. QED.

[cpzilliacus]

Unfortunately, Maryland still allows the locals to do automated speed and red light enforcement (but that is not as abusive as the Virginia municipal speed traps).

Funny...I've driven through Maryland countless times and I've never gotten a speeding ticket or red light violation ticket. Of course, I wasn't speeding or running red lights. The choice in the hands of the driver. And I choose not to break the laws. QED.

There are obviously no red light cameras on the state's freeway system, and local governments may not install speed cameras on state-maintained freeways, with the possible exception of I-83 Baltimore City (a road I seldom drive, though I have not noticed any cameras along it in the city).

I am sure that Baltimore City could pull down a small fortune in speed camera revenue along its sections of I-95, I-695 and I-895, were it allowed to do so.  The only places where there are speed cameras on Maryland freeways are in construction zones, and they tend to be very well-advertised ahead of time (revenue goes to the state).

[AlexandriaVA]

I'm talking about local roads in MD on which I drive...more than freeways you know!

[cpzilliacus]

I'm talking about local roads in MD on which I drive...more than freeways you know!

As long as the signals are timed correctly (especially the yellow change interval and to a lesser extent the red clearance interval), I have no problem with red light cameras, because they do prevent crashes. 

[cpzilliacus]

The Virginian-Pilot: Eight things we learned at the transportation conference

Last week's annual Virginia Governor's Transportation Conference, with nearly two dozen presentations by government and industry experts, dished out enough information and tidbits to fill the entire paper. The governor, the U.S. secretary of transportation and the state secretary of transportation all spoke. Instead of covering every issue, let's pull out eight things we learned from the three-day event:

[cl94]

I'm talking about local roads in MD on which I drive...more than freeways you know!

As long as the signals are timed correctly (especially the yellow change interval and to a lesser extent the red clearance interval), I have no problem with red light cameras, because they do prevent crashes.

I agree. I remember when Columbus first put them in. Rear-end crashes increased for a short time, but T-bone and injury crashes dropped immediately. If it stops people from running red lights, it's worth it.

[AlexandriaVA]

I'm talking about local roads in MD on which I drive...more than freeways you know!

As long as the signals are timed correctly (especially the yellow change interval and to a lesser extent the red clearance interval), I have no problem with red light cameras, because they do prevent crashes.

I agree. I remember when Columbus first put them in. Rear-end crashes increased for a short time, but T-bone and injury crashes dropped immediately. If it stops people from running red lights, it's worth it.

I always like the people who cite an increase in rear-end collisions as reasons not to install speed cameras/red light cameras. It's basically an admission that people are very poor drivers and can't obey fundamental driving practices.

You also see this argument from state-level DOT's when it comes to installing crosswalks ("there's too much speeding on this road to allow for a crosswalk").

[1995hoo]

WTOP reports I-66 has been named the "worst damn freeway in America":

http://wtop.com/local/2015/11/interstate-66-worst-damn-freeway-america/

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP reports I-66 has been named the "worst damn freeway in America":

http://wtop.com/local/2015/11/interstate-66-worst-damn-freeway-america/

I strongly disagree with that assertion.

While I-66 between U.S. 50 at Fair Oaks and I-495 suffers from bad design (in large part by the on-the-cheap HOV lane addition in the early 1990's), between I-495 and Rosslyn, the design is fine.

What is not fine are the policies by which the road operates.

[1995hoo]

I felt it might have some validity if they limited the scope to the portion between the Beltway and Fair Oaks. West of there, it's an excellent road (heavy traffic notwithstanding). Inside the Beltway is underbuilt for the traffic demand, but otherwise it has no fundamental flaws per se.

But between the Beltway and Fair Oaks it's bad. I haven't been on that segment since August and thus I haven't seen the new traffic-management system in operation, but I hope to see it tomorrow since we're going to our favorite winery near Linden (Fox Meadow Vineyards).

[The Ghostbuster]

Interstate 66 may not be the worst freeway, but from what I've read about it, it's far from the best.

[noelbotevera]

A way to fix I-66's woes - dig down, or build up. Make it double decker to hold double capacity. It can all be built on the existing ROW.

[cpzilliacus]

I felt it might have some validity if they limited the scope to the portion between the Beltway and Fair Oaks. West of there, it's an excellent road (heavy traffic notwithstanding). Inside the Beltway is underbuilt for the traffic demand, but otherwise it has no fundamental flaws per se.

But between the Beltway and Fair Oaks it's bad. I haven't been on that segment since August and thus I haven't seen the new traffic-management system in operation, but I hope to see it tomorrow since we're going to our favorite winery near Linden (Fox Meadow Vineyards).

The section between U.S. 50 and I-495 suffers from many operational and design problems.

From west to east here are some:

. The routing of much of I-66 means that drivers get blinding sunshine in their eyes for several months in both directions, which reduces capacity when demand is high (this is a problem inside and outside I-495).

. Tremendous volume of traffic entering the freeway from eastbound U.S. 50, at a point where I-66 used to narrow from four lanes to three, except during morning "green arrow" periods.  Even with four lanes, the two lanes entering from U.S. 50 still puts a huge burden on eastbound I-66.

. The use of shoulders for active traffic (and emergency pull-off areas instead of shoulders) means that small incidents can rapidly become large incidents.

. The interchange at Va. 123 dates to the mid-1960's, and it shows. The need to rebuild this interchange to provide full-time HOV lanes may have been one of the reasons that VDOT went with HOV "on the cheap" in the early 1990's, when the concurrent-flow HOV lane was being designed and engineered. 

. In the afternoons, tremendous volumes of traffic exit the parking decks at Vienna and a lot of that traffic tried to cram onto an already congested I-66.

. In the mornings, the transition from three conventional (general purpose) lanes and one HOV lane at I-495 to two HOV lanes was terrible for many years, leading to long queues of traffic every morning, even when the "inside the Beltway" section of I-66 was HOV-2. 

. "Friction" from the adjoining conventional lanes has caused the HOV lanes to not work well at all.

[froggie]

The routing of much of I-66 means that drivers get blinding sunshine in their eyes for several months in both directions, which reduces capacity when demand is high (this is a problem inside and outside I-495).

This is something that would happen to ANY general eastward-westward running freeway.  What are you gonna do, not have east-west freeways or full-circle beltlines?  It's also a problem somewhere on the Beltway regardless of the time of year.

[cpzilliacus]

The routing of much of I-66 means that drivers get blinding sunshine in their eyes for several months in both directions, which reduces capacity when demand is high (this is a problem inside and outside I-495).

This is something that would happen to ANY general eastward-westward running freeway.  What are you gonna do, not have east-west freeways or full-circle beltlines?  It's also a problem somewhere on the Beltway regardless of the time of year.

Yes, it is a problem on more than one freeway that runs east and west.  I-66 is hurt by the "sunshine factor" more than most others in the Washington area because of its extremely heavy traffic volumes.  More, IMO, eastbound in the mornings than westbound in the afternoons, though it can be bad on sunny afternoons too.

There are also places on the Capital Beltway where it is a problem.  Perhaps the worst is in Prince George's County, on the Inner Loop between U.S. 1 and Md. 201 in the mornings, and on the Outer Loop from U.S. 1 to Md. 650 in the afternoons. 

I-395 seems to suffer more in the afternoons, southbound from the Pentagon to Va. 236. 

[oscar]

The routing of much of I-66 means that drivers get blinding sunshine in their eyes for several months in both directions, which reduces capacity when demand is high (this is a problem inside and outside I-495).

This is something that would happen to ANY general eastward-westward running freeway.  What are you gonna do, not have east-west freeways or full-circle beltlines?  It's also a problem somewhere on the Beltway regardless of the time of year.

A lot of tall trees would've helped, at least for part of the year. But all the trees that might help block the sun glare are long gone, and there's no place to plant new ones.

There was opposition to wiping out trees as part of the recent Beltway widening. While the opponents were in the tree-hugger crowd, maybe some motorists could've spoken up too.

[Mapmikey]

There was opposition to wiping out trees as part of the recent Beltway widening. While the opponents were in the tree-hugger crowd, maybe some motorists could've spoken up too.

If you are talking about the Beltway north of I-66, the trees there weren't preventing any glare issues as the biggest problem areas on that part of the Beltway are the outer loop leaving the American Legion Br in the afternoon (not widened) or through Tysons Corner (glare off high rise glass buildings).

Mike

[1995hoo]

....

But between the Beltway and Fair Oaks it's bad. I haven't been on that segment since August and thus I haven't seen the new traffic-management system in operation, but I hope to see it tomorrow since we're going to our favorite winery near Linden (Fox Meadow Vineyards).

Nothing to report on the new system–the signs weren't on because traffic was as light as I've seen it in years. But, oddly, the green arrows were on in both directions for the shoulder lanes even though we were going a steady 65 mph. Can't say I approve of frivolous opening of the shoulder lanes. Strikes me as dangerous if someone's car breaks down at the wrong place.

We stopped at the Haymarket Sheetz for gas ($2.55 a gallon for 93 octane....20¢ a gallon MORE than the Hess on Telegraph Road!) and to drain off excess wine consumption. I noted the DDI construction is moving along nicely. Framework for the pillars for the new northbound overpass are taking shape.

[cpzilliacus]

We stopped at the Haymarket Sheetz for gas ($2.55 a gallon for 93 octane....20¢ a gallon MORE than the Hess on Telegraph Road!) and to drain off excess wine consumption. I noted the DDI construction is moving along nicely. Framework for the pillars for the new northbound overpass are taking shape.

I think that Sheetz in Haymarket gets away with (relatively) higher motor fuel prices in part because there is so little in the way of fuel availability on I-66 between Front Royal and U.S. 15; and not much along U.S. 15 between I-66 and Leesburg either.

[hbelkins]

We stopped at the Haymarket Sheetz for gas ($2.55 a gallon for 93 octane....20¢ a gallon MORE than the Hess on Telegraph Road!) and to drain off excess wine consumption. I noted the DDI construction is moving along nicely. Framework for the pillars for the new northbound overpass are taking shape.

I think that Sheetz in Haymarket gets away with (relatively) higher motor fuel prices in part because there is so little in the way of fuel availability on I-66 between Front Royal and U.S. 15; and not much along U.S. 15 between I-66 and Leesburg either.

I don't have to buy 93 octane, but I'm guessing that there's a 20-cent differential in octane levels. That would put the price of regular at $2.15. I seem to recall it being cheaper than that when I stopped to top off the tank of my state vehicle the day I drove to Annapolis. Not sure what would have caused prices to increase over the past seven weeks.

That Sheetz was doing quite a bit of business early on a Sunday afternoon that day, not only at the gas pumps but inside at the register. I'm glad I was able to pay at the pump with a FleetOne card and only went inside to use the restroom.

I was super-glad to see that Sheetz on a winter morning back in 2004. I had driven to a conference at the Renaissance in downtown DC and my fuel tank was getting lower than I like as I approached DC on I-270. I kept looking for a gas station to be listed on a blue services sign as I got closer to the Beltway, but saw none. I also didn't see any fuel on the short segment of the Beltway I drove into Virginia, nor on the parkway as I headed toward the Key Bridge. That meant I had to wait until I left town several days later to gas up, and didn't remember seeing any signs westbound on I-66 until I got to the US 15 exit, where I saw the Sheetz listed. My gas gauge needle was a lot closer to "E" than I like for it to get when I'm in unfamiliar territory.

[1995hoo]

It was $2.05/$2.25/$2.55 for the three grades and $2.25 for diesel. It didn't much matter. I needed to fill the car's tank, but more importantly I needed to drain my own tank ASAP and since I had to stop for that....

[CVski]

If you're driving I-66 all the way from Nova to I-81, the best gas prices are almost always at Exit 6 Front Royal.   Either on 340 right there at the exit, or else you can usually do a little better going south for a mile or so across the bridge.  Best of all is a few miles up 340/522 near Stephens City, but that's a bit out of the way unless that's your destination or you are rejoining I-81N anyway.

[noelbotevera]

If you're driving I-66 all the way from Nova to I-81, the best gas prices are almost always at Exit 6 Front Royal.   Either on 340 right there at the exit, or else you can usually do a little better going south for a mile or so across the bridge.  Best of all is a few miles up 340/522 near Stephens City, but that's a bit out of the way unless that's your destination or you are rejoining I-81N anyway.

I've seen that gas is also cheaper in Fauquier County. Until you reach Prince William County, that's where it gets more and more expensive until I-66 is put out in downtown D.C.

[Mapmikey]

It was down to $1.84 in the Fredericksburg area and in the upper $1.70s  west of Richmond before the very recent price increases...

Mike

[cpzilliacus]

Lowest I have seen in Virginia was several weeks ago, $1.99 9/10 per gallon on U.S. 48/Va. 55 west of I-81.