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Author Topic: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road  (Read 93253 times)

cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #50 on: November 13, 2013, 08:58:10 PM »

Shunpiking is now a points violation?

Shunpiking by way of Va. 7 (Leesburg Pike) is rather legal.

Disregarding an official traffic control device is unlawful - in Virginia, it's § 46.2-830.  Entrances to the access road state pretty clearly that the road is only for use by persons coming to or from Dulles Airport.

I think there may also be a special provision in the Code of Virginia for the violation of "backtracking" to use the "free" airport access road.  See § 46.2-819.5.
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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #51 on: November 13, 2013, 09:01:56 PM »

Shunpiking is now a points violation?  :ded: I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.

only on the US highway system, and even then I think there are certain bridge exemptions.  the Bay Bridge, for example (US-40/50) does not have a particularly viable alternative without going miles out of one's way.

You meant U.S. 50/U.S. 301, right?

The westbound side needs no shunpike route, since it is not tolled.

The eastbound trip involves going up to the "top" of the Chesapeake Bay near Elkton by way of I-95 or U.S. 40 (though that's a $6 toll), then south along Del. 1 (also tolled) or "free" Md. 213 and U.S. 301.
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mrsman

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #52 on: November 17, 2013, 08:36:05 PM »

Shunpiking is now a points violation?  :ded: I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.

only on the US highway system, and even then I think there are certain bridge exemptions.  the Bay Bridge, for example (US-40/50) does not have a particularly viable alternative without going miles out of one's way.

You meant U.S. 50/U.S. 301, right?

The westbound side needs no shunpike route, since it is not tolled.

The eastbound trip involves going up to the "top" of the Chesapeake Bay near Elkton by way of I-95 or U.S. 40 (though that's a $6 toll), then south along Del. 1 (also tolled) or "free" Md. 213 and U.S. 301.

Two different Bay Bridges!

San Francisco Bay Bridge was historically US 40/50, and is now I-80.  You pay a toll westbound to cross the SF Bay.  To avoid the toll, you basically go around the whole Bay either by way of Milipitas (CA-237) or by way of Sears Point (CA-37), depending upon your starting and ending locations.  Eastbound no toll.

For the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the only way to successfully avoid the toll is to go as far away as US 1 (Conwingo Dam), since I-95 and US 40 are tolled eastbound over the Susquehanna River.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #53 on: November 17, 2013, 08:49:15 PM »

With regard to the Dulles Toll Road, I always thought that this would be the perfect set-up for HOT/free, since the DAAR is set up in the classic express lane context.  I would prefer if all traffic were allowed on both roadways, DTR would be free and DAAR would be HOT.  DAAR should open up more entries to the local lanes and have maybe a few direct exits to local streets along the way.  This would be a perfect complement to the growing HOT lane network in Northern Virginia along I-495 and along I-395 and I-95.

But I understand the need for the toll revenue to pay for the Metro expansion.  But the commuters to Reston and Herndon are not the only ones who would benefit from the Metro, airport users would as well.  So make both the DAAR and the DTR toll.  Just like the parking meters in Arlington, VA (all may park, all must pay), for the Dulles Highway (all may drive, all must pay).  No free rides for airport traffic.  The taxis can pass the cost to their customers.  The DAAR would be a toll HOV facility and the DTR would be a toll general facility.  The existing HOV lane in the DTR would be converted to a fifth general purpose lane, thereby easing traffic.

Paying a toll is bad enough.  If you're paying, you shouldn't sit in traffic while those on your left are sailing away for free.
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oscar

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #54 on: November 17, 2013, 09:52:36 PM »

With regard to the Dulles Toll Road, I always thought that this would be the perfect set-up for HOT/free, since the DAAR is set up in the classic express lane context.  I would prefer if all traffic were allowed on both roadways, DTR would be free and DAAR would be HOT.  DAAR should open up more entries to the local lanes and have maybe a few direct exits to local streets along the way.  This would be a perfect complement to the growing HOT lane network in Northern Virginia along I-495 and along I-395 and I-95.

But I understand the need for the toll revenue to pay for the Metro expansion.  But the commuters to Reston and Herndon are not the only ones who would benefit from the Metro, airport users would as well.  So make both the DAAR and the DTR toll.  Just like the parking meters in Arlington, VA (all may park, all must pay), for the Dulles Highway (all may drive, all must pay).  No free rides for airport traffic.  The taxis can pass the cost to their customers.  The DAAR would be a toll HOV facility and the DTR would be a toll general facility.  The existing HOV lane in the DTR would be converted to a fifth general purpose lane, thereby easing traffic.

Paying a toll is bad enough.  If you're paying, you shouldn't sit in traffic while those on your left are sailing away for free.

But free, and fast and usually congestion-free (except on the part of I-66 that feeds into the airport road), access to Dulles Airport has historically been one of the airport's big selling points.  Especially for inside-the-Beltway travelers like me who otherwise might prefer the closer-in Reagan National (also an MWAA airport, but in response to noise and other concerns MWAA and the Feds have been trying to shift some of the load to the much bigger but more distant Dulles). 

Taxis between my home in Arlington and Dulles are expensive enough already, without getting jacked up by tolls.  That makes me avoid Dulles, in favor of a much shorter and cheaper taxi ride to Reagan National, when possible.  I use Dulles mainly for non-stop flights to California, and the rare trans-Atlantic flight.  Even for flights to Alaska and Hawaii, I usually will fly from National to DFW, and from there catch a non-stop the rest of the way (no non-stops to Hawaii or Alaska from Dulles). 
« Last Edit: November 18, 2013, 12:13:43 AM by oscar »
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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #55 on: November 17, 2013, 10:23:47 PM »

With regard to the Dulles Toll Road, I always thought that this would be the perfect set-up for HOT/free, since the DAAR is set up in the classic express lane context.  I would prefer if all traffic were allowed on both roadways, DTR would be free and DAAR would be HOT.  DAAR should open up more entries to the local lanes and have maybe a few direct exits to local streets along the way.  This would be a perfect complement to the growing HOT lane network in Northern Virginia along I-495 and along I-395 and I-95.

Problem is that the DAAR was constructed as part of the airport, and was always intended to serve airport traffic only.  Prior to the inception of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) in about 1987, the road was patrolled by federal police employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which owned and ran both Dulles and National Airports.   It is my understanding that the FAA still owns the land under both airports (and that includes the DAAR and perhaps the land under Va. 267 (Dulles Toll Road) as well.  When only the DAAR existed, its interchanges were configured to allow traffic to enter westbound and exit eastbound - only.  Several of the bridges over the DAAR (including the structures carrying Va. 7 (Leesburg Pike), Beulah Road and Monroe Street over the DAAR were built much longer than needed to span those four lanes, in anticipation of the construction of what became the Dulles Toll Road in the early 1980's.

But I understand the need for the toll revenue to pay for the Metro expansion.  But the commuters to Reston and Herndon are not the only ones who would benefit from the Metro, airport users would as well.  So make both the DAAR and the DTR toll.  Just like the parking meters in Arlington, VA (all may park, all must pay), for the Dulles Highway (all may drive, all must pay).  No free rides for airport traffic.  The taxis can pass the cost to their customers.  The DAAR would be a toll HOV facility and the DTR would be a toll general facility.  The existing HOV lane in the DTR would be converted to a fifth general purpose lane, thereby easing traffic.

Would the FAA go along with tolling of the DAAR?  I don't know.  I suspect it might well balk because of its history as part of the airport.   

Paying a toll is bad enough.  If you're paying, you shouldn't sit in traffic while those on your left are sailing away for free.

That certainly makes sense.  But our transportation policy does not (unfortunately) always make much sense.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2013, 11:32:53 PM by cpzilliacus »
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #56 on: November 21, 2013, 10:42:14 AM »

NBC4 (WRC-TV):  Virginia Man Drives Up $200,000 Tab on Dulles Toll Road

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Paying tolls on your daily commute is a drop in the ocean compared to the E-ZPass bill one Virginia man drove up by ignoring them.

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Jason Bourcier doesn't deny that he rode the Dulles Toll Road nightly without paying for his commute from Reston to Washington three-and-a-half years ago when he was looking for work.

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A friend told him that when the toll booths were unmanned after 11:30 p.m., you could use the road without paying. His friend was wrong.

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This week, VDOT took Bourcier to court because his bill had ballooned from $440 to more than $200,000, including late fees and interest. They reached a settlement and agreed on a payment plan.

TOLLROADSnews: Virginia man runs up $200,000 debt on Dulles Toll Road - now has $150/month for 22 years
« Last Edit: November 22, 2013, 11:34:50 PM by cpzilliacus »
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #57 on: November 21, 2013, 11:06:47 AM »

....

Would the FAA go along with tolling of the DAAR?  I don't know.  I suspect it might well balk because of its history as part of the airport.   

....

I would be astonished if the FAA allowed that. They've always jealously protected that road's "airport-only" status. Bear in mind that when the airport opened it was considered to be a white elephant located way out in the sticks, and the construction of that highway was vital in getting anyone to use it because there was no other good way to get there (Route 7 to the then—two-lane Route 28 might have been the best option, or else I guess Hunter Mill Road–either way, I-66 wasn't open east of Centreville when the airport opened in 1962). The period in the early 1980s when they sold those orange "commuter" decals allowing Reston residents to use the Access Road from Reston Avenue (now Reston Parkway) was a MAJOR concession on the FAA's part as a temporary measure while the Dulles Toll Road was built.

I remember a period either in the late 1990s or early 2000s when the MWAA posted a series of Burma Shave—style signs on the Access Road median in the Herndon area: "The road you're on/Is for airport users./Don't risk a ticket/From our police cruisers."
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #58 on: November 21, 2013, 11:45:23 AM »

The period in the early 1980s when they sold those orange "commuter" decals allowing Reston residents to use the Access Road from Reston Avenue (now Reston Parkway) was a MAJOR concession on the FAA's part as a temporary measure while the Dulles Toll Road was built.

There are still a pair of bus-only slip ramps near Reston, allowing eastbound buses to enter the Access Road from the Toll Road, and westbound buses to exit the Access Road to the Toll Road.  Those were also major concessions, to improve Metrobus service to Reston, and it wouldn't surprise me if the ramps are permanently closed after Metrorail's Silver Line is opened to Reston next year.  AFAIK, those ramps are the only way for non-airport traffic to exit the westbound Access Road, or to enter the eastbound Access Road, between the airport and the merge with VA 267 east of I-495 and VA 123. 
« Last Edit: November 21, 2013, 11:47:28 AM by oscar »
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #59 on: November 21, 2013, 12:17:06 PM »

The period in the early 1980s when they sold those orange "commuter" decals allowing Reston residents to use the Access Road from Reston Avenue (now Reston Parkway) was a MAJOR concession on the FAA's part as a temporary measure while the Dulles Toll Road was built.

There are still a pair of bus-only slip ramps near Reston, allowing eastbound buses to enter the Access Road from the Toll Road, and westbound buses to exit the Access Road to the Toll Road.  Those were also major concessions, to improve Metrobus service to Reston, and it wouldn't surprise me if the ramps are permanently closed after Metrorail's Silver Line is opened to Reston next year.  AFAIK, those ramps are the only way for non-airport traffic to exit the westbound Access Road, or to enter the eastbound Access Road, between the airport and the merge with VA 267 east of I-495 and VA 123. 

I'm pretty sure you're right about those being major concessions. When I worked downtown, my secretary lived near Dulles Town Center and rode the commuter bus from the lot on West Ox Road. She said there were some days when the driver knew the Toll Road was backed up (due to a wreck or whatever) and he had to call the airport police to request special permission to get to the Access Road via the back entrance to the airport. If he'd simply gone ahead and driven through the airport without obtaining pre-authorization, he'd have been subject to ticketing because the provision allowing the buses on the Access Road applies only to the area from those slip ramps east.

There have been many times when I've been driving on the Toll Road and I've seen the gate arms on those slip ramps broken off. I've often wondered whether it was someone trying to tailgate a bus through the gate and the gate came down on his car or whether instead someone just went ahead and barrelled through at full speed. I almost never drive on there during rush hour and so have never observed anyone doing that.
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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #60 on: November 22, 2013, 11:31:27 PM »

Two different Bay Bridges!

San Francisco Bay Bridge was historically US 40/50, and is now I-80.  You pay a toll westbound to cross the SF Bay.  To avoid the toll, you basically go around the whole Bay either by way of Milipitas (CA-237) or by way of Sears Point (CA-37), depending upon your starting and ending locations.  Eastbound no toll.

Thanks.  Never had a discussion where the Gov. William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge (informally the Chesapeake Bay Bridge or just the Bay Bridge, internally to the MdTA the "WPL") got mixed-up with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge before.

For the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the only way to successfully avoid the toll is to go as far away as US 1 (Conwingo Dam), since I-95 and US 40 are tolled eastbound over the Susquehanna River.

Yes, the route to avoid the tolls eastbound crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is so far out of the way as to be a waste of time and fuel.  Avoiding the toll at the westbound  San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is not nearly as many miles, though if the destination is San Francisco, it seems like a total waste of time, since a driver still has to pay toll to cross the Golden Gate Bridge when headed south.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #61 on: November 23, 2013, 10:46:07 AM »

There have been many times when I've been driving on the Toll Road and I've seen the gate arms on those slip ramps broken off. I've often wondered whether it was someone trying to tailgate a bus through the gate and the gate came down on his car or whether instead someone just went ahead and barrelled through at full speed. I almost never drive on there during rush hour and so have never observed anyone doing that.

I observed this a few weeks ago, an SUV tailed a bus heading towards Washington. The gate arm came down immediately after the bus and "bounced" off their windshield, the gate staying deformed. Passing this point two days later the gate was back to full length. Not sure if it was replaced, or just eventually reformed/was reshaped.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #62 on: November 23, 2013, 01:42:31 PM »

An assistant pastor (of all people) from my church many years ago went thru a toll gate once, on a bridge from Philly to NJ (back when the toll was two-way).  He had paid the toll, but the gate came down pre-maturely.  He waited for a minute...no one came...so he left!

Those gates are generally very brittle, just for instances like those mentioned above.  Cheap painted wood, plastic, tubing, etc. 
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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #63 on: November 23, 2013, 07:06:25 PM »

There have been many times when I've been driving on the Toll Road and I've seen the gate arms on those slip ramps broken off. I've often wondered whether it was someone trying to tailgate a bus through the gate and the gate came down on his car or whether instead someone just went ahead and barrelled through at full speed. I almost never drive on there during rush hour and so have never observed anyone doing that.

I observed this a few weeks ago, an SUV tailed a bus heading towards Washington. The gate arm came down immediately after the bus and "bounced" off their windshield, the gate staying deformed. Passing this point two days later the gate was back to full length. Not sure if it was replaced, or just eventually reformed/was reshaped.

I've seen many buses come through those gates, and also non-authorized vehicles.  The ramps were once located in a slightly different location (somewhat west of the current placement), and were not gated.  Law enforcement (normally VSP) used to monitor them pretty closely, but not always.

Since the current set of ramps were opened, they have had gates.  I don't think they are anything more than light (almost balsa) wood or (at one point) gutter downspouts.

They open when a vehicle with the correct E-ZPass transponder passes under the readers located ahead of the ramps - and that gate arm comes down fast after the bus has passed.

An assistant pastor (of all people) from my church many years ago went thru a toll gate once, on a bridge from Philly to NJ (back when the toll was two-way).  He had paid the toll, but the gate came down pre-maturely.  He waited for a minute...no one came...so he left!

Those gates are generally very brittle, just for instances like those mentioned above.  Cheap painted wood, plastic, tubing, etc.

Only exception I have seen is on the private Dulles Greenway (Va. 267).  The gate arms there are plastic coated, but they are extremely heavy, and will shatter windshields or severely damage other vehicle components.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #64 on: November 25, 2013, 11:12:34 PM »


But I understand the need for the toll revenue to pay for the Metro expansion.  But the commuters to Reston and Herndon are not the only ones who would benefit from the Metro, airport users would as well.  So make both the DAAR and the DTR toll.  Just like the parking meters in Arlington, VA (all may park, all must pay), for the Dulles Highway (all may drive, all must pay).  No free rides for airport traffic.  The taxis can pass the cost to their customers.  The DAAR would be a toll HOV facility and the DTR would be a toll general facility.  The existing HOV lane in the DTR would be converted to a fifth general purpose lane, thereby easing traffic.

Would the FAA go along with tolling of the DAAR?  I don't know.  I suspect it might well balk because of its history as part of the airport.   

[/quote]

I believe they probably would.  It's a fee charged to airport users that will fund a benefit for airport users.

Most airport users will pay a fee to use the airport to drive there, even if you are just dropping off a passenger.  The only exception are those who are using Sully Road.

This isn't unprecedented.  In Dallas, International Pkwy is a N-S drive through airport property.  It can be used by commuters as well.  All users will pay a toll of some amount: those who park, those who drop off and pick up passengers, and those who drive through.

In Orlando, the airport is surrounded by toll roads.  So while it is possible to reach the airport without paying a toll, it is much faster to pay a toll to reach almost any destination in the area.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #66 on: November 29, 2013, 12:41:35 PM »

I don't really see the lack of parking as a problem.  Anyone coming from Leesburg or Reston who is heading to Arlington or Downtown will do what they've been doing before.  Either drive all the way or park and ride.  Some of those folks will now park at Wiehle, freeing up spaces at the western orange line stops.  There really won't be an immediate increase in users of the system.

In the long term, there will be additional travel to/from Tysons, but that would mainly be from people who will live in Tysons and commute downtown and some reverse commuters from the District and Arlington.  Similarly, we may see commuters coming in from the Loudon County stops in phase 2 who are heading to Tysons.  Nobody will drive to Wiehle just to take the subway a few stops.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #67 on: December 18, 2013, 08:21:23 PM »

WTOP Radio: Dulles Toll Road tolls to jump by 43 percent

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If you use the Dulles Toll Road, budget more for what you pay to cross it.

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Beginning Jan. 1, the toll rate for passenger cars at the Main Toll Plaza will increase by 75 cents to $2.50. Toll rates at the on- and off-ramps will remain unchanged at $1.

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The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates and maintains the Dulles Toll Road, says the fee increase is necessary to help fund construction of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #68 on: December 24, 2013, 04:26:32 PM »

Washington Post: Officers nab 116 ”˜backtrackers’ at Dulles Airport

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Officials at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority last month launched an aggressive campaign to catch folks who’ve been dodging tolls on the Dulles Toll Road by cutting through the airport – a practice known as “backtracking.”

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Airport officials were very public about their intentions, but it seems as if some folks missed the news.  Officers cited a total of 50 drivers during the first crackdown, Nov. 13. They were out again Nov. 21 and nabbed 66 drivers. So much for the deterrent effect, eh?

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Officials at the airports authority say they’ll continue to watch the roads around the airport but may not be so public about enforcement actions. So “backtrackers”  – you aren’t off the hook.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #69 on: January 03, 2014, 04:53:44 PM »

Washington Business Journal via WTOP: Dulles Greenway owner requests 15-cent toll hike

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The private owner of the Dulles Greenway has submitted an application to hike tolls on the Loudoun County highway by 15 cents in each direction.

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The request was filed Monday with the State Corporation Commission, less than 24 hours before I wrote this article about the soaring assessed value of the 14-mile Greenway, and how that may affect tolls. (Little did I know at the time...)

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Greenway owner Toll Road Investors Partnership II LP, or TRIP II, is seeking a 2.8 percent toll hike – the maximum allowed by state law – in addition to a three-cent additional charge to collect a portion of the roughly 24 percent increase in local property taxes it paid to Loudoun and the town of Leesburg in 2013.

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TRIP II is requesting that the new toll take effect on Feb. 15.
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mtantillo

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #70 on: January 08, 2014, 08:26:18 PM »

I just drove the DTR out to Reston for dinner. On the way there I took the airport lanes to skip traffic, and did so legally by filling up at the Exxon. On the way back  I took the regular lanes. Paid my dollar toll entering at Reston Parkway, then upon approaching the main toll plaza, figured instead of paying $2.50, I'd exit at Spring Hill, pay $1, go straight across at the signal and re-enter, paying another dollar. I was half expecting them to have made the straight through move illegal, but they didn't...and they can't, since buses have to go that way to get to Tysons Westpark transit center. Might only be 50 cents, but it only involves about a minute of time, and if rather pay as little as I can for Metro via tolls if I'm not in a rush. Could have saved even more if I took Jones Branch to the Express Lane entrance; where the toll for
jones branch to 495 north is generally 40 or 50 cents, and you get "expedited" service rather than sitting on the DTR to 495 north ramp which is often clogged.
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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #71 on: January 17, 2014, 08:33:19 PM »

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cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #72 on: January 31, 2014, 10:46:59 PM »

Washington Business Journal via WTOP: Examiner recommends no change to Greenway tolls

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The base toll on the Dulles Greenway, exasperatingly high for many drivers, is in line with state law and should not be reduced, an examiner with the State Corporation Commission has concluded.

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In her 67-page report, following a yearlong investigation, SCC Hearing Examiner A. Ann Berkebile found no support for reducing the base toll rate approved by the commission on Jan. 16, 2013. But she did conclude that distance-based tolling, a high priority for the business community, is worth further study by Greenway owner Toll Road Investment Partnership II LP.

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"I am unable to find that the Greenway's toll rates are appropriately subject to modification in this proceeding," Berkebile wrote.
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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #73 on: February 23, 2014, 01:33:35 AM »

cpzilliacus

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Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
« Reply #74 on: April 11, 2014, 03:14:31 PM »

WTOP Radio: Greenway tolls go up on Friday, again

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Tolls are already high on the Dulles Greenway, but starting Friday the rates will go even higher.

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A one-way trip during rush hour jumps from $4.90 to $5.10, regardless of whether you pay with cash, credit card or E-ZPass. For commuters on the Dulles Toll Road, the trip will cost minimum $6.10 because of the exit fee. Round-trip, five days a week through the Dulles Toll Road could cost commuters $3,000 per year, or more.

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"It is unbelievable that in the midst of a major investigation into the practices of the Greenway, the owners of the Greenway would seek yet another rate increase," says Del. David Ramadan of Loudoun County.

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"It is even more unbelievable that the SCC decided to grant the increase prior to our challenge even being heard by the full commission. It clearly demonstrates that the deck is stacked against our commuters, on whose behalf I am fighting."

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Ramadan is suing the owners of the Dulles Greenway because he believes the high tolls "materially discourage users" from driving on the highway. In simpler terms, commuters purposely avoid the Greenway because it's too expensive. Drivers often take 28 either north or south, then use local roads to reach their destination. It takes longer and those back roads aren't designed to deal with the volume of cars, but it saves money.
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