I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Maryland's toll lane project drawing dozens to speak before vote

[astralentity]

GROAN....

Just what we need in the Northeast and DMV areas.... more tolls!

You know that those who are gonna suffer most are travelers going through the area to get to points north and south.   I for one enjoy the drive down through Gettysburg and into Frederick to get to I-270 and points around the DMV.  This is just going to make me consider I-81 and I-64 more if I need to get down to Richmond or further south.  I did that route coming back from Florida yesterday (trip split point was in Short Pump along I-64 after leaving Orlando), and it's a hell of a lot less headache and easier on the wallet than up I-95/I-495 etc.

[sprjus4]

None of the I-495 / I-270 / I-95 projects are adding any tolls to any existing general purpose capacity. It's all new capacity. All existing lanes will remain 100% free.

That said... can't argue with I-81 / I-64. I've done it before just to avoid DC / I-95 altogether, and while it may have added more time, it was certainly far less stressful and no traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

I do wish they'd add at least one GP and 3 toll lanes each way. That would really go far in making a big dent in congestion.

[famartin]

I do wish they'd add at least one GP and 3 toll lanes each way. That would really go far in making a big dent in congestion.

Its also a fantasy given monetary and space constraints.

[Plutonic Panda]

I do wish they'd add at least one GP and 3 toll lanes each way. That would really go far in making a big dent in congestion.

Its also a fantasy given monetary and space constraints.

The costs would be insane.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Maryland board approves first contract to design toll lanes for Beltway, I-270 - The "predevelopment agreement"  gives Transurban and Macquarie the right of first refusal to build and operate the lanes over 50 years.

The first contract for companies to design billions of dollars worth of toll lanes for Interstate 270 and part of the Capital Beltway won approval Wednesday from a Maryland board, marking the start of the state's largest project aimed at relieving traffic congestion.

The Board of Public Works – composed of the governor, treasurer and comptroller – voted 2 to 1 to approve a "predevelopment agreement"  with Australian firms Transurban and Macquarie to develop plans for the lanes at their own expense over about a year.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), who is running for governor, supported the contract, saying the expanded highways would alleviate chronic and worsening traffic congestion and its economic effects. State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D) opposed it, saying she didn't believe state officials know all of the project's financial risks and environmental impacts.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: In split vote, Board of Public Works approves highway design contract

In a vote that divided the state's top leaders, the Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday advanced Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.'s plan to widen two highways in Montgomery County.

Hogan (R) and Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) voted to accept one contract that will allow an international consortium to begin design work on the plan to add privately financed toll lanes to portions of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270.

A second contract sets up a one-dollar-a-year lease arrangement, over 60 years, between the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA).

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Losing bidder signals intent to sue MDOT over Transurban contract

Capital Express Mobility Partners (CEMP), a consortium that unsuccessfully sought a multi-billion dollar contract to finance and build toll lanes on interstate highways in Montgomery County, signaled in its strongest terms to date that it intends to sue the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The consortium's determination to litigate is conveyed in an Aug. 10 letter sent by its attorney, former Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D), to the Board of Public Works.

The letter, undisclosed until now, also lays out in broad detail the legal arguments that the consortium is likely to present if its case goes to court – and it hints at a belief that MDOT's lawyers are slow-walking the protest-resolution process to keep CEMP from filing suit.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Losing bidder signals intent to sue MDOT over Transurban contract

    Capital Express Mobility Partners (CEMP), a consortium that unsuccessfully sought a multi-billion dollar contract to finance and build toll lanes on interstate highways in Montgomery County, signaled in its strongest terms to date that it intends to sue the Maryland Department of Transportation.

I just noticed that this says that they want to sue MDOT.  That may be a mistake by the reporter with Maryland Matters that wrote this - or it may be a mistake by the attorney involved, Doug Gansler, who has been around a long time and presumably knows this.

I have no opinion about the merits of the case here, but I think filing a lawsuit against MDOT may be suing the wrong state agency.  Unless things have changed recently, the agency in charge of P3 transportation projects like this one is MDTA, which is not legally part of MDOT, though the chair of the MDTA board is always the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

[davewiecking]

An email received this afternoon informs me that Maryland's P3 program will henceforth be known as "Op Lanes Maryland" .  www.oplanesmd.com. "Options and Opportunities for All" .

Now that we have that important decision out of the way...

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Maryland tolling authority suggests lowering minimum rates for toll lanes on Beltway, I-270

[cpzilliacus]

[This project is in Virginia but is only happening because of the Maryland P3 project so I am posting it here.]

WTOP Radio: Extended Express Lanes in Virginia may help ease traffic on I-495

[kernals12]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

[Roadsguy]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

[kernals12]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

An auxiliary lane is still a lane, it's 12 lanes.

[plain]

I'm definitely for widening the AL bridge, but I was under the impression that the bridge wasn't the source of congestion there..

[kernals12]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

Actually, that 25% increase in traffic slower than the 29% increase in population that the DC Area saw in that time frame. Induced demand my ass

[1995hoo]

A shoulder is not a lane, regardless of whether jackasses in Maryland think it's ok to bomb along at 55 mph on the shoulder to pass stopped traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

Actually, that 25% increase in traffic slower than the 29% increase in population that the DC Area saw in that time frame. Induced demand my ass

It's because nearly every single induced demand example comes from a cherry picked scenario especially those like the 405 through the Sepulveda pass where the issue isn't one of simple lack of mainline capacity but also bottlenecks.

I've been skeptical of induced demand being a rational argument when I first heard about it ten years ago. I became interested in urban development and infrastructure as I signed up on OKCTalk a development forum for OKC. I was very shocked when I saw how many posters took shots at me and my idea of widening I-35 because it would simply become congested again therefore they shouldn't widen it.

I-40 project near downtown was close to wrapping up as the mainline was being expanded to 5 GP lanes each way. Even with a bottleneck at I-44 it rarely gets congested outside of an accident almost 10 years later. No induced demand.

I still present my questions of exactly how traffic can be considered induced, or rather a specific number on how much traffic is induced demand and a distinction between it and latent demand. It's a question I've yet to have answered when I first asked it 10 years ago. I've considered going to LATTC downtown for transportation planning on the side and I've always thought it'd be an interesting experience seeing how my ideologies would be tolerated by the undoubtably anti car stance the professors there have.

[famartin]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

An auxiliary lane is still a lane, it's 12 lanes.

Yea, but last I checked, it was 3-2-2-3, including auxiliaries.

[kernals12]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

Actually, that 25% increase in traffic slower than the 29% increase in population that the DC Area saw in that time frame. Induced demand my ass

It's because nearly every single induced demand example comes from a cherry picked scenario especially those like the 405 through the Sepulveda pass where the issue isn't one of simple lack of mainline capacity but also bottlenecks.

I've been skeptical of induced demand being a rational argument when I first heard about it ten years ago. I became interested in urban development and infrastructure as I signed up on OKCTalk a development forum for OKC. I was very shocked when I saw how many posters took shots at me and my idea of widening I-35 because it would simply become congested again therefore they shouldn't widen it.

I-40 project near downtown was close to wrapping up as the mainline was being expanded to 5 GP lanes each way. Even with a bottleneck at I-44 it rarely gets congested outside of an accident almost 10 years later. No induced demand.

I still present my questions of exactly how traffic can be considered induced, or rather a specific number on how much traffic is induced demand and a distinction between it and latent demand. It's a question I've yet to have answered when I first asked it 10 years ago. I've considered going to LATTC downtown for transportation planning on the side and I've always thought it'd be an interesting experience seeing how my ideologies would be tolerated by the undoubtably anti car stance the professors there have.

The "induced demand" argument is much older than you think, it's been used since at least the 70s to argue against road building. Clearly it's not really influential.

[kernals12]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

An auxiliary lane is still a lane, it's 12 lanes.

Yea, but last I checked, it was 3-2-2-3, including auxiliaries.

You're right, i just checked streetview. So why does everyone describe as being 12 lanes?

[NJRoadfan]

Actually, that 25% increase in traffic slower than the 29% increase in population that the DC Area saw in that time frame. Induced demand my ass

Total traffic capacity is limited by the roads feeding it. The bridge only has to contend with 8 lanes of thru-traffic and some traffic generated by the 2 auxiliary lanes from I-295 to the ramps in Alexandria. Traffic counts would grow a bit more linear if 10 thru lanes of the Capital Beltway were feeding the bridge.

[jeffandnicole]

I found something interesting.

In 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried 200,000 vehicles per day

They then widened it from 6 lanes to 12

In 2019, traffic was just under 250,000.

So a 100% increase in capacity was followed by just a 25% increase in traffic.

That's a factoid that should be brought up every time some mouth breather claims widening the AL bridge won't reduce congestion.

While it physically supports 12 lanes, it's currently only striped for 10, so only a 66.6% increase. Still more than the increase in traffic, though!

An auxiliary lane is still a lane, it's 12 lanes.

Yea, but last I checked, it was 3-2-2-3, including auxiliaries.

You're right, i just checked streetview. So why does everyone describe as being 12 lanes?

Who's everybody?  Or, it could be people mistakenly thinking it is.

Personally, I've learned to take the Local lanes, where there's 3 lanes, vs the 2 lanes inside.  Almost always faster.