Hampton Roads, Va. area toll crossings and toll roads

[Beltway]

It was validated enough to where VDOT used it in their draft 2011 Reevaluation of the previous CBA 9/Third Crossing project.

The I-564 Extension and the Craney Island Connector.

Not a "Draft 2011 Reevaluation of the previous CBA 9", just of 2 of the 5 segments (those I listed above) of CBA 9.

I would like to see the figures without the Craney Island Connector.

[Beltway]

The HRBT (I-64 and U.S. 60) and the  James River Bridge (U.S. 17 and U.S. 258) were originally toll crossings.  The MMMBT (I-664) was always "free" to cross.
All of them are expensive to maintain and require constant monitoring and patrol for obvious reasons. 
If people in the area want more highway capacity across the Hampton Roads, they have three choices:
(1) Get the Virginia General Assembly to approve another (large) increase in motor fuel taxes to fund the construction of more capacity;
(2) Go along with tolling; or
(3) Continue to deal with extensive and worsening congestion approaching the crossings.
There's no "free" opinion available.

(4) They could extend I-564 to I-664 for $4 billion and have a whole new 4-lane bridge-tunnel which could exploit the much lower traffic volumes on I-664 in both directions, between Norfolk and Newport News, and between Norfolk and Suffolk.  It would also serve as an uptown crossing of the Elizabeth River and provide more capacity beyond that of the existing two Elizabeth River tunnels.  It would also complete a South Hampton Roads Beltway.  It could be tolled.

Why did I forget to post this?

(5) Get the U.S. Congress  to approve an increase in motor fuel taxes to properly fund the Interstate highway system.  This would mean ample funding to provide 90% FHWA funds for improving the Interstate highway system as was the case up to the mid-1990s or so.  That is how I-664 was funded and how the parallel HRBT and parallel Downtown Tunnel were funded, for example.  That is how today's expansions to the Interstate highway system could be funded.

(6) Given the massive military presence in the Hampton Roads area and the consequent major traffic generation, the case should be made to provide special FHWA allocations above and beyond normal Interstate highway system funding.

[Jmiles32]

http://www.13newsnow.com/traffic/i-64-express-lanes-begin-on-january-10/503183144

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- The Virginia Department of Transportation has set a date to begin tolled Express Lanes on Interstate 64: Wednesday, January 10, 2018.

VDOT had originally wanted the tolls to be activated in December, but further testing forced them to push it back.

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne said VDOT was not in a position to open the new tolls and he directed the agency to perform an additional 60 days of testing because "this facility's credibility will not be called into question."

The Express Lanes are intended to help ease congestion on an 8.4-mile stretch between the I-264 and I-564 interchanges.

Once tolling begins, Express Lanes will be free and open to all drivers outside of the Express Lane operating hours, which will be Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Motorists will need an E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex to use the lanes during operating hours

[Beltway]

http://www.13newsnow.com/traffic/i-64-express-lanes-begin-on-january-10/503183144

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- The Virginia Department of Transportation has set a date to begin tolled Express Lanes on Interstate 64: Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
VDOT had originally wanted the tolls to be activated in December, but further testing forced them to push it back.
Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne said VDOT was not in a position to open the new tolls and he directed the agency to perform an additional 60 days of testing because "this facility's credibility will not be called into question."
The Express Lanes are intended to help ease congestion on an 8.4-mile stretch between the I-264 and I-564 interchanges.
Once tolling begins, Express Lanes will be free and open to all drivers outside of the Express Lane operating hours, which will be Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Motorists will need an E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex to use the lanes during operating hours

What happens with the concurrent-flow HOV lanes between just south of I-264 and VA-168 Battlefield Blvd.?  Do they become HOT as well, which would be a logical part of the above scheme?

[cpzilliacus]

More details here:

The Virginian-Pilot: High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-64 will open in early January

High Occupancy Toll lanes on a stretch of Interstate 64 will begin in early January, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Friday.

Drivers without passengers will be able to pay to use an 8.4-mile stretch between the I-264 interchange and I-564 during certain hours.

The lanes will open Jan. 10, VDOT said. They'll be available to paying drivers from 5-to-9 a.m. westbound and 2-to-6 p.m. eastbound, Monday through Friday. Drivers will need an E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex to access them.

Outside of those hours, the lanes will remain free and open to everyone.

This will be the first time solo drivers in Hampton Roads will be able to use the lanes during peak travel times, VDOT said.

[Jmiles32]

http://www.13newsnow.com/traffic/i-64-express-lanes-begin-on-january-10/503183144

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- The Virginia Department of Transportation has set a date to begin tolled Express Lanes on Interstate 64: Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
VDOT had originally wanted the tolls to be activated in December, but further testing forced them to push it back.
Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne said VDOT was not in a position to open the new tolls and he directed the agency to perform an additional 60 days of testing because "this facility's credibility will not be called into question."
The Express Lanes are intended to help ease congestion on an 8.4-mile stretch between the I-264 and I-564 interchanges.
Once tolling begins, Express Lanes will be free and open to all drivers outside of the Express Lane operating hours, which will be Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Motorists will need an E-ZPass or E-ZPass Flex to use the lanes during operating hours

What happens with the concurrent-flow HOV lanes between just south of I-264 and VA-168 Battlefield Blvd.?  Do they become HOT as well, which would be a logical part of the above scheme?

Correct and that is Segment 2 of a plan to eventually have HOT lanes on I-64 from Exit 255(Jefferson Avenue) all the way to Exit 299(I-264/I-664).
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/transportation/article_a1e8e6a8-ed57-5b42-88a4-94fa3f4a90e4.html

Segment 2: Adds 15 miles of new HOT lanes in each direction from Bowers Hill to the I-464 interchange. Converts existing HOV lanes to HOT lanes from I-464 to I-264 interchange. Will be voted on in September. Would open in 2021.
Unlike the first segment, these lanes will have HOT rules 24/7, though the toll will be minimal during times of low congestion. Part of this route was originally studied a year ago, but VDOT determined it wasn't viable on its own.

[Beltway]

Completion of the Elizabeth River Tunnels Project.

"Despite using a tunnel design rarely used in the U.S., a joint venture of Skanska, Kiewit Construction and Weeks Marine safely delivered the $2.1-billion Elizabeth River Tunnels project in September, one year ahead of schedule. The new, nearly 3,800-ft-long tunnel under the Elizabeth River between Portsmouth and Norfolk, Va., is one of the first U.S. all-concrete, immersed-tube tunnels designed for deep water.

The project was developed under a public-private partnership between the Virginia Dept. of  Transportation and Elizabeth River Crossings, the Macquarie-Skanska consortium that financed the project and will operate and maintain the tunnels and other facilities for a 58-year concession period. The construction joint venture, dubbed SKW Constructors, held the design-build contract for site and bridge work and constructing a new tunnel as well as rehabilitating three existing tunnels and constructing an expressway extension. Virginia DOT maintains ownership of the infrastructure and will continue to oversee the developer's activities and operation."

Project of the Year/Excellence Award in Safety: Elizabeth River Tunnels Project
https://www.enr.com/articles/43071-project-of-the-yearexcellence-award-in-safety-elizabeth-river-tunnels-project

Moved post here to be consistent with most other information on this project.  -Mark

[Thing 342]

The I-64 reversible lanes in Norfolk / VB are set to go into HOT mode starting this Wednesday (01/10). Here's a bit of new signage: (taken by VDOT)


I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what happens to the lanes outside of the rush periods (5-9a WB, 2-6p EB). All the stuff I've seen about them says that HOT only applies for these hours, but does that mean they become open to all traffic after hours? Do you still need an EZ-Pass in that case?

[Jmiles32]

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what happens to the lanes outside of the rush periods (5-9a WB, 2-6p EB). All the stuff I've seen about them says that HOT only applies for these hours, but does that mean they become open to all traffic after hours? Do you still need an EZ-Pass in that case?

Yes like the I-66 HOT lanes inside the beltway, outside of rush hour the lanes are free to all traffic. Not positive whether or not one would still need an EZ-Pass during off hours travel such as on a weekend, but I'm sure VDOT encourages it regardless.

[VTGoose]

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what happens to the lanes outside of the rush periods (5-9a WB, 2-6p EB). All the stuff I've seen about them says that HOT only applies for these hours, but does that mean they become open to all traffic after hours? Do you still need an EZ-Pass in that case?

Yes like the I-66 HOT lanes inside the beltway, outside of rush hour the lanes are free to all traffic. Not positive whether or not one would still need an EZ-Pass during off hours travel such as on a weekend, but I'm sure VDOT encourages it regardless.

"Drivers don't need an E-ZPass to use the lanes on weekends or during the 16 hours of each weekday when they are not tolled."

See https://pilotonline.com/news/local/transportation/article_00b922b9-94e0-51b3-b50e-48c3270122c7.html

[Jordanes]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

[74/171FAN]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

[VTGoose]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

It uses the "trust but verify" caveat. From the Virginian-Pilot article above:

"Cheaters will be caught using information from E-ZPass transponders and police spot checks. There's also the honor system. Officers will be on hand occasionally to check and cite drivers for violations.

Officials say nearly a fifth of drivers cheated on the carpool lanes in Northern Virginia. That dropped to 1 percent after HOT lanes were installed. People were willing to pay to use them if they could, officials said."

[Mapmikey]

I can confirm that VSP do patrol I95 HOT lanes solely for cheaters using the flex pass in the HOV position without the requisite number of occupants, in addition to having no EZpass at all.

[Jordanes]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

Okay, then I'll rephrase my question: how does the E-ZPass Flex know that there are 2 or more people in the car? I really can't figure that one out. 

[plain]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

Okay, then I'll rephrase my question: how does the E-ZPass Flex know that there are 2 or more people in the car? I really can't figure that one out. 

On the FLEX there's a switch that you flip when you want to be in HOV mode, hence the name.
Picture: (not mine)

I know what Jordanes is actually getting at... VTGoose & Mapmikey answered his question but he seems to still be a little confused on it. Maybe in the future the cops will have some kind of detector in their cruisers that lets them know if a single occupied car passing by them has the HOV switched on or not, who knows. But for now they're using the techniques that have been mentioned.

[VTGoose]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

Okay, then I'll rephrase my question: how does the E-ZPass Flex know that there are 2 or more people in the car? I really can't figure that one out. 

As mentioned above, there is a switch on the E-ZPass transponder that a driver moves to activate the HOV mode -- but that only changes the signal that is returned when a detector hits the transponder. It is up to the honesty of the driver to flip the switch when and IF there are two or more people in the car. If there is only the driver in the car and he flips the switch to take advantage of the HOT lane then the driver is breaking the law and could be pulled over and issued a ticket. Those who try to get around the rules (HOT lane, using carpool lane when alone in the car, speeding, etc. et al) are playing the odds that they won't get caught. If a driver gets from Point A to Point B without seeing a police car, they "win" and will play the game again. The ethics of any of this could be debated for days and is best left up to personal integrity.

Bruce in Blacksburg

[1995hoo]

I will add that the I-66 HO/T operations inside the Beltway add a wrinkle to all this. I-66 inside the Beltway is HOV-2 rides free with an E-ZPass Flex. I-495 and I-95 are HOV-3 rides free. Ms1995hoo and I have taken advantage of the free ride on I-66 twice since HO/T operations began, and we have to remember to flip the HOV switch to the off position after we pass the last gantry on I-66 and before we pass the first gantry on the Beltway. This is not all that big a deal for me other than leaning over and having to remember which direction to flip the switch (I can't see the E-ZPass Flex itself because the rearview mirror blocks it from my view), but I could see it maybe being a problem for short people because Ms1995hoo says she can't reach it.

More likely people in that situation will either forget to flip the switch or "forget" to flip the switch (quotation marks denoting people deliberately cheating). Indeed I got an e-mail from ezpassva.com on December 11 that read as follows (boldface in original). It made me wonder how many tickets were issued to HOV-mode violators on the Beltway during the first week of I-66 HO/T operations (which began December 4).

Dear E-ZPass Customer,

The I-66 Express Lanes Inside the Beltway facility is open with new rules in effect during rush hour periods. As an E-ZPass Flex customer who travels between I-66 and the 95/495 Express Lanes, we want to remind you of the different carpool rules on each road.

If you are traveling on the I-66 Express Lanes with 2 occupants in the vehicle and your E-ZPass Flex set to HOV mode, do not forget to switch your E-ZPass Flex from HOV mode prior to using 495 or 95 Express Lanes. Otherwise, you could be stopped by Virginia State Police enforcing the HOV-3 requirements.

	95/495 Express Lanes	I-66 Express Lanes Inside the Beltway
HOV occupancy requirements	3	2
HOV rules in effect	At all times	Eastbound 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. Westbound 3 to 7 p.m.
For more information	ExpressLanes.com	66ExpressLanes.org
To reach customer service with questions	customercare@expresslanes.com or 1-855-495-9777	66ExpressLanes.org/contact  or 1-877-762-7824

Safe Travels,

Questions? Please contact customercare@Expresslanes.com

[Beltway]

I will add that the I-66 HO/T operations inside the Beltway add a wrinkle to all this. I-66 inside the Beltway is HOV-2 rides free with an E-ZPass Flex. I-495 and I-95 are HOV-3 rides free. Ms1995hoo and I have taken advantage of the free ride on I-66 twice since HO/T operations began, and we have to remember to flip the HOV switch to the off position after we pass the last gantry on I-66 and before we pass the first gantry on the Beltway. This is not all that big a deal for me other than leaning over and having to remember which direction to flip the switch (I can't see the E-ZPass Flex itself because the rearview mirror blocks it from my view), but I could see it maybe being a problem for short people because Ms1995hoo says she can't reach it.
More likely people in that situation will either forget to flip the switch or "forget" to flip the switch (quotation marks denoting people deliberately cheating). Indeed I got an e-mail from ezpassva.com on December 11 that read as follows (boldface in original). It made me wonder how many tickets were issued to HOV-mode violators on the Beltway during the first week of I-66 HO/T operations (which began December 4).

Must be complicated keeping track of all the HOV and HOT rules in the D.C. area, given rule differences between highways, which can be subject to change as we have seen recently.  Maryland has its own set of rules for each of theirs, I-270 and US-50.

Those are just the freeways.  D.C. and VA have some arterials with HOV lanes.

My own usage is uncomplicated, I use the I-95 and I-495 HOT lanes about 4 times per year, and without the FLEX feature.

[1995hoo]

The Maryland restrictions are irrelevant to me, other than the 24/7 left-lane restriction on US-50, and even that one's not a big deal because I don't use that road very often and when I do it's usually a weekend when traffic is light.

Keeping track of the HO/T restriction for purposes of the free ride is easy enough because I-66 inside the Beltway is the only road in Northern Virginia where the HOV aspect requires two people rather than three.

The thing I've always found harder to remember has been the differing HOV hours on the different roads in Northern Virginia. I-395's afternoon HOV hours are 3:30 to 6:00. I-66's former afternoon HOV hours were 4:00 to 6:30; the HO/T hours are, I believe, 3:00 to 7:00 (same as the outside-the-Beltway HOV hours on I-66). I have no idea what the HOV hours are on the Dulles Toll Road. The afternoon HOV hours on Route 1 through Old Town are, I believe, 4:00 to 6:00, and the inbound hours are 7:00 to 9:00. I-66's former inbound HOV hours inside the Beltway were 6:00 to 9:00; I believe I-395's are the same. I-66 outside the Beltway was 5:30 to 9:30 and the inside-the-Beltway HO/T hours now match that.

I always found the various mishmash of HOV hours to be somewhat confusing to try to remember. (I hear someone asking, "Why does it matter when a sign will tell you what the HOV hours are?" It matters because I have to commit to a particular route before I reach the HOV facility in question.) But you know, it's something you get used to over time.

[mrsman]

How is the E-ZPass reader able to determine that there are 2 or more people in a car? I really can't figure that one out.

Because it does not.  You have to have an EZPASS Flex that is switched into HOV mode when you have 2 or more in the vehicle.  With a normal EZPASS, you pay the toll no matter how many people are in a vehicle.

Okay, then I'll rephrase my question: how does the E-ZPass Flex know that there are 2 or more people in the car? I really can't figure that one out. 

On the FLEX there's a switch that you flip when you want to be in HOV mode, hence the name.
Picture: (not mine)

I know what Jordanes is actually getting at... VTGoose & Mapmikey answered his question but he seems to still be a little confused on it. Maybe in the future the cops will have some kind of detector in their cruisers that lets them know if a single occupied car passing by them has the HOV switched on or not, who knows. But for now they're using the techniques that have been mentioned.

I'm not sure if this is done in VA, but in some areas with a flex transponder, a light is displayed on the gantry indicating what was read by the gantry.  So if a police officer is parked on the shoulder downstream from the gantry, the police officer can see as each car passes whether the car was a) no EZ-pass b) regular EZ-Pass or c) EZ-Pass HOV mode.  I believe that each different indication has a different light.  If the (a) light is indicated, the police officer will pursue all the time.  If the (b) light is indicated, the police officer will ignore.  If the (c) light is indicated, the police officer will pursue if he can see that there are not enough occupants in the car.

In San Diego, they allow for HOV drivers to drive the I-15 express lanes for free without a transponder.  There, the police officer will pursue every solo driver unless the Fastrak indicator light comes on.  For some reason, it was determined that doing something similar along the Virginia express lanes (and even the express lanes in the LA area where they incorporate a flexible version of the Fastrak) would be too difficult to enforce the HOV requirements unless they force all drivers to have some type of transponder.

[Mapmikey]

The VSP have portable scanners that read which transponder is in your car.

They have also returned to occasionally staking out the ends of off ramps to nab violators (thankfully they don't do this at the end of the lanes themselves much anymore like they were constantly doing during the HOV-only days)

[cpzilliacus]

The VSP have portable scanners that read which transponder is in your car.

They have also returned to occasionally staking out the ends of off ramps to nab violators (thankfully they don't do this at the end of the lanes themselves much anymore like they were constantly doing during the HOV-only days)

There's also a red line that flashes when you drive under any of those gantries when the transponder is in  HOV mode.  If the trooper does not see enough heads, then a traffic stop will likely result.  If there are enough  people in the car, then the stop is over and the driver is sent on his or her way.

[Beltway]

No update on the VDOT website news releases yet.

The latest on the HRBT expansion: a fourth lane for the tunnel, one project team pulls its bid
The Virginian-Pilot
May 18, 2018
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/transportation/article_7fcaa2a6-5a19-11e8-9eff-ab11613e206d.html

It's official: The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion will widen the tunnel to four lanes instead of three.
Jim Utterback, newly named HRBT project manager, said during a Thursday transportation meeting that the cost difference would be negligible and that the four-lane version would actually be easier to build.
The idea was floated early in the concept design in 2015 but officials decided to go with it earlier this year.
The land sections of I-64 will have three lanes in each direction.
The existing tunnels will be converted to all westbound traffic (toward the Peninsula), and the new tube will take traffic eastbound (to South Hampton Roads).
The "3-4-3 configuration"  may alleviate some of the congestion and slowdowns that come with entering the tunnels. The design could increase hourly capacity from 4,700 to 6,300 cars.
During peak summer traffic, more than 100,000 vehicles a day cross the span, according to VDOT.
The bridge-tunnel will keep two free lanes and add one permanent High Occupancy Toll lane and a HOT lane shoulder that can be used during peak congestion.
The expansion, the largest roads project in Virginia history, is estimated to cost more than $3.6 billion by the time construction is finished in 2024.

The article has a diagram that is not very clear, but it looks like the trestles will be widened to 4 lanes plus a full right shoulder.  Implied is that the new tube will have 4 lanes.  The I-64 land sections between I-664 and I-564 will have 6 lanes.

I asked at a CTB meeting and they have a whole funding package arranged and only about 15% of it needs to be funded by tolls.

[plain]

No update on the VDOT website news releases yet.

The latest on the HRBT expansion: a fourth lane for the tunnel, one project team pulls its bid
The Virginian-Pilot
May 18, 2018
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/transportation/article_7fcaa2a6-5a19-11e8-9eff-ab11613e206d.html

It's official: The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion will widen the tunnel to four lanes instead of three.
Jim Utterback, newly named HRBT project manager, said during a Thursday transportation meeting that the cost difference would be negligible and that the four-lane version would actually be easier to build.
The idea was floated early in the concept design in 2015 but officials decided to go with it earlier this year.
The land sections of I-64 will have three lanes in each direction.
The existing tunnels will be converted to all westbound traffic (toward the Peninsula), and the new tube will take traffic eastbound (to South Hampton Roads).
The "3-4-3 configuration"  may alleviate some of the congestion and slowdowns that come with entering the tunnels. The design could increase hourly capacity from 4,700 to 6,300 cars.
During peak summer traffic, more than 100,000 vehicles a day cross the span, according to VDOT.
The bridge-tunnel will keep two free lanes and add one permanent High Occupancy Toll lane and a HOT lane shoulder that can be used during peak congestion.
The expansion, the largest roads project in Virginia history, is estimated to cost more than $3.6 billion by the time construction is finished in 2024.

The article has a diagram that is not very clear, but it looks like the trestles will be widened to 4 lanes plus a full right shoulder.  Implied is that the new tube will have 4 lanes.  The I-64 land sections between I-664 and I-564 will have 6 lanes.

I asked at a CTB meeting and they have a whole funding package arranged and only about 15% of it needs to be funded by tolls.

Since WB traffic will also use the existing EB tube,  it will help tremendously with the over height truck situation WB.

I like the added lane in the tunnel and on the bridges. Even though the land portion will be 6 lanes, who cares?!! The more capacity across the harbor, the better!