Regional Boards > Mid-Atlantic
I-66 HO/T Lanes
1995hoo:
--- Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 26, 2015, 12:15:59 PM ---I have driven that old ramp enough to have seen an assortment of disasters, mishaps and breakdowns, though it seemed almost invariably involving heavy commercial vehicles (often dump trucks and refuse packer trucks - at least one HAZMAT tank tractor-trailer combination) which would presumably be banned from using that ramp, as they always have been from the I-495 Express Lanes.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I always disliked the way there was a sort of "kink" to it about halfway around the curve—you were going left at a reasonably quick pace and suddenly the ramp curved to the right without the assistance of banking or anything similar.
The worst incident I remember there was one I encountered late on a hot afternoon in July 2008 as we were nearing the end of the drive home from Nova Scotia. We got stuck in traffic on the Outer Loop at that interchange and were suddenly subjected to the overpowering stench of massive quantities of skunked beer. Turned out a Budweiser truck had overturned on that left-side ramp and spilled its load down the side of the embankment and all over the Beltway; many of the beer cans, of course, burst open on impact.
1995hoo:
Just in case anyone was planning to attend (I was not), tonight's I-66 public meeting has been POSTPONED due to the weather forecast. It's been rescheduled for February 3 (next Tuesday)
cpzilliacus:
--- Quote from: 1995hoo on January 26, 2015, 12:34:39 PM ---
--- Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 26, 2015, 12:15:59 PM ---I have driven that old ramp enough to have seen an assortment of disasters, mishaps and breakdowns, though it seemed almost invariably involving heavy commercial vehicles (often dump trucks and refuse packer trucks - at least one HAZMAT tank tractor-trailer combination) which would presumably be banned from using that ramp, as they always have been from the I-495 Express Lanes.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I always disliked the way there was a sort of "kink" to it about halfway around the curve—you were going left at a reasonably quick pace and suddenly the ramp curved to the right without the assistance of banking or anything similar.
The worst incident I remember there was one I encountered late on a hot afternoon in July 2008 as we were nearing the end of the drive home from Nova Scotia. We got stuck in traffic on the Outer Loop at that interchange and were suddenly subjected to the overpowering stench of massive quantities of skunked beer. Turned out a Budweiser truck had overturned on that left-side ramp and spilled its load down the side of the embankment and all over the Beltway; many of the beer cans, of course, burst open on impact.
--- End quote ---
I remember that incident. As with many of the others, it caused a huge mess in literal terms, and in traffic terms as well.
cpzilliacus:
Dr. Gridlock in the Washington Post: Commuters wonder what it would take to fix I-66
--- Quote ---Dear Dr. Gridlock:
One big solution that could occur right now would be to ban hybrid low-emissions vehicles that do not meet HOV occupancy requirements.
I know several people who have purchased those cars just to use HOV lanes, which completely defeats any attempt to reduce congestion problems.
HOV lanes were invented to increase vehicle occupancy and reduce numbers of vehicles on the road. Single-person vehicles do not meet that goal, and when I am lucky enough to have two people and may use I-66 inside the Capital Beltway, I see a surprising number of single-occupancy vehicles.
I use I-66 every day between the Beltway and Route 123. That includes use outside of commuting hours. The Red-X lanes between the Beltway and Nutley, as well as between Route 123 and Route 50, should be eliminated. Those shoulder lanes should be open 24/7.
If the state is really going to do something about congestion between the Beltway and Route 50, especially if a lane will be added, it should consider “through” lanes and “local” lanes similar to those on the Beltway near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 in Montgomery County.
--- End quote ---
cpzilliacus:
Falls Church News-Press: F.C. Council Wary of I-66 Toll Road Plan
--- Quote ---Plans by the Virginia Department of Transportation to turn I-66 into a toll road met with considerable skepticism from members of the Falls Church City Council at its work session Monday night, with concerns for the impact on City roads from persons avoiding the tolls in deference to I-66 users whose destinations are not in this area, but Points West of the City.
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--- Quote ---Representatives from VDOT and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation presented a summary of its report, “I-66 Multimodal Improvements Inside the Beltway,” to the Council, and despite the City staff recommendation of “concurrance from Council on key items” in the report, Council member Marybeth Connelly asked the key question from the Falls Church perspective, “What’s the purpose of this?” and Mayor David Tarter added, “We don’t want people to blow through Falls Church.” Vice Mayor David Snyder, the City’s representative on numerous regional bodies, said, “There are many negative consequences for closer-in communities like Falls Church. There is only one solution to road congestion, which it to have a truly effective Metro system and bus route expansion.”
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