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Regional Boards => Mid-Atlantic => Topic started by: mightyace on July 13, 2009, 06:15:28 PM

Title: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mightyace on July 13, 2009, 06:15:28 PM
According to this article on TollRoadNews, there is a plan to increase tolls on the Dulles Toll Road to fund the long-proposed Metro heavy-rail (a.k.a. subway) line running in the middle of or parallel to the toll road and the airport access highway.

DC airports outfit to hike tolls 80% on Dulles Toll Road to fund metro rail line (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4262)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Chris on July 14, 2009, 02:42:11 AM
So, why shouldn't the actual users of that rail pay for a change? Man you guys sound like Europe  X-(
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mightyace on January 06, 2010, 11:04:12 PM
Part 1 is now in place:
Tolls increased 40% on Dulles Toll Road, northern Virginia (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4520) as of January 1st.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 74/171FAN on February 16, 2010, 04:29:36 PM
Sort of related but the General Assembly wants to stop people from using the free Dulles Airport Access Road to cheat on not having to pay tolls by turning around at the airport.  However, I still believe that people will either caught for actually going to the airport to drop someone off or get around it by using other roads in the airport to access Ariane Way(according to Google Maps) to access SR 606 and VA 28 http://tollroadsnews.com/node/4605 (http://tollroadsnews.com/node/4605)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on February 16, 2010, 05:05:44 PM
The move is already illegal.  What this proposes is a photo enforcement system...
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Truvelo on February 16, 2010, 05:37:17 PM
I agree with the comment in the tollroadnews link about levying tolls on airport users which means everyone pays the toll. The other advantage is it will put a stop to people turning round at the airport.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mightyace on February 16, 2010, 07:51:19 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on February 16, 2010, 05:37:17 PM
I agree with the comment in the tollroadnews link about levying tolls on airport users which means everyone pays the toll. The other advantage is it will put a stop to people turning round at the airport.

And, airport users would still get the benefit of freer flowing traffic due to reduced entry/exit points.

Somehow, I don't think the system will work well trying to decide who's quick trip is a shunpike maneuver and who's is an actually quick pick up/drop off.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: MikeTheActuary on February 16, 2010, 08:37:06 PM
If there's an uproar over tolling folks going to the airport, perhaps that toll could be offset with an equivalent credit at airport parking.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on February 17, 2010, 07:27:44 AM
If I recall correctly, there's something in state or federal law requiring the access road to be free for airport users.  This make sense since it was the FAA who built the road.  This is why the access road was not tolled when the DTR was built to begin with (back in the early '80s).
Title: Re: Virginia
Post by: cpzilliacus on May 03, 2012, 11:39:32 PM
TOLLROADSnews: New toll system for Dulles Toll Road - first steps (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/5915)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 15, 2012, 08:54:03 AM
WTOP Radio: Tolls rise on Dulles Toll Road (http://www.wtop.com/654/3118803/Tolls-rise-on-Dulles-Toll-Road)

QuoteThe Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's board on Wednesday voted to high tolls on the Dulles Toll Road in 2013 and 2014.

QuoteThe cost will go up, starting Jan. 1.

QuoteThe tolls will go from the current $2.25 toll to $2.75 next year and to $3.50 in 2014.

TOLLROADSnews: Dulles Toll Road toll hikes confirmed 22% Jan 1 2013, 27% 2014 for train subsidy, 2015 deferred while non-toll $s hunted (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6276)

Quote2012-11-14: Struggling to finance $3.02 billion of its $5.6 billion rail line with toll revenue bonds the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) decided today to put firmly in place two years of toll increases but to defer a decision on recommended increases in the third year.  Tolls for the typical trip in a car on the 13.4 mile tollroad in the western part of the Washington DC metro area will rise from $2.25 to $2.75 (22%) January 1 2013 and to $3.50 (27%) Jan 1 2014.

QuoteA decision on a toll increase recommended for the start of 2015 was deferred so the Authority can troll for non-toll sources of revenue for its rail project. An increase in the typical toll to $4.50 or 29% was recommended.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 23, 2012, 02:07:39 AM
Washington Post: Dulles Airport celebrates 50th anniversary (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dulles-airport-celebrates-50th-anniversary/2012/11/22/675f926a-33f2-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_story.html)

QuoteIt was a cold, drizzly day in November 1962 when President John F. Kennedy led the opening of Dulles International Airport.

QuoteAn Air Force pipe band played a graceful program of four songs. The president hailed a new age in air travel. Dulles was billed as an airport for the jet age at a time when most fliers traveled by prop and turboprop planes.

QuoteThis month, that band was back together again – part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the airport. At least four of the men who performed on that overcast day five decades ago played again at a gala dinner and later for passengers and visitors to Dulles. They were a bit slower and a bit grayer but still sharp.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: bsmart on November 25, 2012, 08:43:21 AM
I thought the toll free status of the access road was written into the Federal law that created the airport
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 25, 2012, 10:33:44 AM
Quote from: bsmart on November 25, 2012, 08:43:21 AM
I thought the toll free status of the access road was written into the Federal law that created the airport

I think the MWAA Board of Directors could impose a toll on Airport Access Road drivers if it wanted to.  It has been discussed in the past, but I have never heard of any federal restriction.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 05, 2012, 12:13:33 PM
Leesburg Today: SCC Taking Comments On Proposed Greenway Toll Hike (http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/scc-taking-comments-on-proposed-greenway-toll-hike/article_ccf339f6-3d75-11e2-b6cf-0019bb2963f4.html)

QuoteThe State Corporation Commission has opened the public comment period on the request by the owners of Dulles Greenway to raise the tolls on the 14-mile highway that runs from Rt. 28 to Leesburg.

QuoteToll Road Investors Partnership II (TRIP II) last month filed an application seeking a 3.54 percent increase in all toll rates. For a 2-axle vehicle, the increase equates to 14-cents. However, the company states that the actual posted toll will increase by 10 cents, from $4 to $4.10, according to the SCC.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on December 05, 2012, 12:19:48 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 05, 2012, 12:13:33 PM
Leesburg Today: SCC Taking Comments On Proposed Greenway Toll Hike (http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/scc-taking-comments-on-proposed-greenway-toll-hike/article_ccf339f6-3d75-11e2-b6cf-0019bb2963f4.html)

QuoteThe State Corporation Commission has opened the public comment period on the request by the owners of Dulles Greenway to raise the tolls on the 14-mile highway that runs from Rt. 28 to Leesburg.

QuoteToll Road Investors Partnership II (TRIP II) last month filed an application seeking a 3.54 percent increase in all toll rates. For a 2-axle vehicle, the increase equates to 14-cents. However, the company states that the actual posted toll will increase by 10 cents, from $4 to $4.10, according to the SCC.

I want to see all the people who whine about so-called "Lexus Lanes" on the Beltway show up to complain about the Greenway being the "Rolls-Royce Roadway" in view of its significantly higher toll.

Incidentally, that $4.00 toll rate is the off-peak rate. At rush hour it's higher.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 05, 2012, 01:32:07 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 05, 2012, 12:19:48 PM
I want to see all the people who whine about so-called "Lexus Lanes" on the Beltway show up to complain about the Greenway being the "Rolls-Royce Roadway" in view of its significantly higher toll.

Incidentally, that $4.00 toll rate is the off-peak rate. At rush hour it's higher.

Correct and agreed on all points.

And to add insult to injury, westbound patrons exiting the Dulles Greenway at Va. 606 (Old Ox Road, Exit 8, about 2 miles) pay exactly the same tolls as those driving all the way to U.S. 15/Va. 7 (Leesburg Bypass, Exit 1, about 13 miles). The cost to pass the main Greenway barrier and exit at Va. 606 is about  50¢ per mile (assumes a $4 toll).  Going all the way to Exit 1 is about 31¢ per mile. 

As a point of comparison with another "expensive" Virginia toll facility, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel charges a one-way toll of $12.  That works out to about 60¢ per mile (and the southbound toll plaza on the Northampton County side is set pretty far back from the entrance to the actual crossing (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=cape+charles+va&hl=en&ll=37.132677,-75.966682&spn=0.009563,0.01929&safe=off&hnear=Cape+Charles,+Northampton,+Virginia&gl=us&t=h&z=16), I am including that in my computation), though there is only one way in and one way out of the CBBT (added bonus: the CBBT is one of the coolest toll crossings on the globe).

Another comparison - the mid-day and weekend toll on the InterCounty Connector is about $3.20 for the entire length of what is open now, just over 16 miles of tolled highway (a little shorter if you enter from I-95 southbound because of the interchange configuration).   That works out to a per-mile midday charge of about 20¢. The ICC peak period charge works out to about 25¢ per mile.

Speaking personally, I usually drive the entire length of the Greenway, so it does not bother me, but for those that exit anywhere before Exit 1, the current toll structure is quite unfair.  In a perfect world, the owners of the Greenway would transition to distance-based tolling for E-ZPass patrons only (it would buy them a lot of goodwill), but they would have to install E-Z pass readers on gantries on all of the ramps where there are no readers and no toll equipment of any kind now.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on December 05, 2012, 01:37:26 PM
No kidding. To me, exiting westbound at Old Ox Road is insane and I can't really fathom why anyone would do it. It's sort of like going through the Delaware Turnpike toll plaza, except that avoiding the Delaware toll takes longer and requires going further out of your way than avoiding the Greenway toll plaza does. If I wanted to go from the original Toll Road to westbound Old Ox, I'd exit at Route 28 and then exit from there onto Old Ox.

I almost always drive the full length of the Greenway as well. I think I exited at Ashburn once en route to Brambleton Golf Course, and I know I've exited at Belmont Ridge Road en route to Lansdowne.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Takumi on December 05, 2012, 02:37:32 PM
When we went on the Greenway last summer, we got off on Old Ox Road because that's where the place we were heading was located, and we followed the host (who, incidentally, drove a Gallardo convertible, so a $4 toll means less to him than to a bunch of twentysomethings from an area with much cheaper tolls) to get there. Obviously, we didn't take VA 267 back.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 09, 2012, 02:01:07 PM
Washington Post: D.C. airport authority employment is frequently a family affair (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/dc-airport-authority-employment-is-frequently-a-family-affair/2012/12/08/e29ab88a-3eef-11e2-a2d9-822f58ac9fd5_story.html)

QuoteMeet the Kulle family: mom Helen, daughter Ann Kulle-Helms, son-in-law Douglas Helms, son Albert, daughter-in-law Michele Kulle and Michele's brother, Jeffrey Thacker.

QuoteThey all worked for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. All at the same time.

QuoteThey are among scores of MWAA employees and board members whose spouses, children, in-laws and other relatives have landed jobs at the agency, according to authority records.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 16, 2012, 08:03:35 AM
Leesburg Today: SCC Orders Greenway Owner To Respond To Delegate's Complaint (http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/scc-orders-greenway-owner-to-respond-to-delegate-complaint/article_7c8741a0-4631-11e2-adb7-0019bb2963f4.html)

QuoteThe road to higher tolls is going to be a little bumpier for the owners of the Dulles Greenway.

QuoteTuesday, the State Corporation Commission--the body that will make the decision on the Greenway's proposed toll increase--ordered that Toll Road Investors Partnership II respond to a complaint made by Del. David Ramadan (R-87) earlier this month. TRIP II will have until Dec. 19 to respond, and the SCC will not continue the review of TRIP II's proposal until the response is filed.

QuoteRamadan filed a complaint with the SCC Dec. 4 asking for the commission to "ensure that the Greenway's toll rate for two-axle vehicles conform to the [Virginia State Code] regulation that tolls may not 'materially discourage use of the roadway by the public.'"
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 25, 2012, 11:12:48 PM
WTOP Radio: Toll rates on Dulles Toll Road to rise (http://www.wtop.com/120/3170051/1224-Toll-rates-on-Dulles-Toll-Road-to-rise-)

QuoteThe cost of a one-way trip on the Dulles Toll Road will rise by 50 cents starting Jan. 1.

QuoteThe higher tolls will help pay for Metrorail's $6 billion expansion to Washington Dulles Airport.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 02, 2013, 03:19:26 PM
WTOP Radio: Latest Dulles Toll Road tax hike fueling renewed protest (http://www.wtop.com/120/3178709/Latest-Dulles-Toll-Road-tax-hike-fueling-renewed-protest)

QuoteThe latest toll hike on the Dulles Toll Road, which took effect New Year's Day, may have rekindled the protest over how the new Silver Line is being financed.

QuoteThe tolls went up 25 cents to $1.75 at the main toll plaza, and a larger hike is scheduled for the next two years.

QuoteNoTOLLincrease.org, a citizens group that has been fighting the tolls for months, is now circulating a petition asking the state to consider two other alternatives to the tolls.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 14, 2013, 12:40:41 PM
D.C. Examiner:  Virginia lawmakers consider buying Greenway, backing Dulles Toll Road debt (http://washingtonexaminer.com/virginia-lawmakers-consider-buying-greenway-backing-dulles-toll-road-debt/article/2518421)

QuoteVirginia lawmakers are considering creative and potentially expensive ways to keep tolls low on two roads they don't control: the Dulles Greenway and the Dulles Toll Road.

QuoteState leaders are now negotiating to buy the privately owned Greenway, a toll road west of Washington Dulles International Airport. And the General Assembly is considering legislation that would allow the state to borrow money through a bond issue to pay for the road's purchase and upkeep.

Quote"I have to be able to negotiate an acceptable deal in terms of what we pay for it," said Del. Joe May, R-Leesburg, who is leading the push to buy the road. "I'm optimistic we're going to find a deal that works for both sides."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mc78andrew on January 14, 2013, 10:43:47 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 14, 2013, 12:40:41 PM
D.C. Examiner:  Virginia lawmakers consider buying Greenway, backing Dulles Toll Road debt (http://washingtonexaminer.com/virginia-lawmakers-consider-buying-greenway-backing-dulles-toll-road-debt/article/2518421)

QuoteVirginia lawmakers are considering creative and potentially expensive ways to keep tolls low on two roads they don't control: the Dulles Greenway and the Dulles Toll Road.

QuoteState leaders are now negotiating to buy the privately owned Greenway, a toll road west of Washington Dulles International Airport. And the General Assembly is considering legislation that would allow the state to borrow money through a bond issue to pay for the road's purchase and upkeep.

Quote"I have to be able to negotiate an acceptable deal in terms of what we pay for it," said Del. Joe May, R-Leesburg, who is leading the push to buy the road. "I'm optimistic we're going to find a deal that works for both sides."

Wow...talk about windfall for bondholders. Virginia still has a AAA credit rating (one notch higher than Uncle Sam). 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 15, 2013, 06:26:33 PM
TOLLROADSnews: Republicans in northern Virginia move to socialize Macquarie Group's Dulles Greenway, get subsidies to drop toll rates (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6354)

QuoteNorthern Virginia Republicans want the government of Virginia to buy up the investor owned Dulles Greenway and the state Treasury to subsidize tolls for their constituents under state ownership.  Legislators from the Dulles Greenway corridor are behind two bills to allow the state to buy up the Dulles Greenway and to make use of subsidy funds to reduce tolls.

QuoteThe legislators are also reportedly engaged in discussions with the Greenway over a price for the state buy-out of the toll concessionaire.

QuoteNo word yet from the administration of Governor Bob McDonnell (also Republican) or from the Dulles Greenway company itself.

QuoteTwo bills to take over the Greenway have been introduced by state Delegate Joe T May (Leesburg) who is also chair of the House transportation committee.  The takeover is supported by the other Republican delegate from Leesburg district Randy Minchew.

QuoteHB1979 authorizes the state Transportation Board to issue Virginia Dulles Greenway revenue bonds to buy the Dulles Greenway. It also establishes a Dulles Greenway Toll Fund as a sub-fund of the state Transportation Trust Fund. The fund is called a "non-reverting fund."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 16, 2013, 02:00:18 AM
Relatives of ex-MWAA official were paid $175,000-plus in no-bid contract (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/relatives-of-ex-mwaa-official-were-paid-175000-plus-in-no-bid-contract/2013/01/15/b4142f4c-5f4b-11e2-a389-ee565c81c565_story.html)

QuoteAt least 10 percent of the workers at the agency overseeing the region's airports have family members employed there, and the wife and daughter of at least one former official were paid more than $175,000 in a no-bid contract that he created, according to interviews and documents.

QuoteA friend of Arl Williams's, a former vice president of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), received nearly $800,000 from a series of contracts to do advertising work over six years, ending in 2009, according to the interviews and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 21, 2013, 11:11:28 PM
Washington Examiner editorial:  Virginia's toll road shell game (http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-local-editorial-virginias-toll-road-shell-game/article/2519182)

QuoteIn 1995, the Dulles Greenway, the first privately financed toll road built in over a century, opened in Northern Virginia. Investors believed they could profit from the commonwealth's failure to build a highway between Dulles International Airport and Leesburg in fast-growing Loudoun County. But the Greenway's backers overestimated demand and the amount of tolls drivers were willing to pay, and it has been losing money ever since. Equity investors lost all their money, estimated at $1 billion, and the Greenway's value has plummeted by two-thirds.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 27, 2013, 09:37:49 AM
WTOP radio: Deal to buy Dulles Greenway may be elusive (http://www.wtop.com/41/3208101/Deal-to-buy-Dulles-Greenway-may-be-elusive)

QuoteHERNDON,Va -- Tolls will be going up again on the privately owned Dulles Greenway even as talk continues about a possible purchase by the state.

QuoteThe Virginia State Corporation Commission has approved a 10 cent toll for the 14-mile highway between Dulles Airport and Leesburg, Va. It means a one-way trip at peak hours for cars will now cost $4.90.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 04, 2013, 02:30:38 PM
Patch.com: SCC to Investigate Greenway Toll Structure (http://herndon.patch.com/articles/scc-to-investigate-greenway-toll-structure-6baefcfd)

QuoteVirginia's State Corporation Commission (SCC) has agreed to investigate the toll structure along the Dulles Greenway, according the Delegate David Ramadan (R-87), who requested the investigation.

QuoteElected representatives at the state, local and federal level have long railed against the tolls on the Greenway, which are nearly $5 each way at rush hour for a two-axle vehicle. With the exception of an exist near Leesburg, all toll road drivers must pay the same toll, whether driving from exit to the next or the full length of the road, which runs from the end of the Dulles Toll Road to Leesburg.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 07, 2013, 12:07:31 PM
WTOP Radio: More than 1M drivers skipped paying on Dulles Toll Road (http://www.wtop.com/149/3220323/More-than-1M-drivers-skipped-toll-road-fee)

QuoteIt's a problem taking a bit of a toll on Virginia transportation.

QuoteThe Washington Examiner reports (http://washingtonexaminer.com/few-violators-pay-dulles-toll-road-fines/article/2520800) that new numbers show drivers traveled on the Dulles Toll Road without paying more than 1 million times last year.

QuoteOnly about 95,000 drivers were cited for the violation, meaning fewer than one in every 10 violators got a ticket.

QuoteRob Yingling -- a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road -- tells the Examiner the violations were caused by things like equipment glitches and drivers going through a closed lane before it could be blocked off, and that the violation rate is comparatively low.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 18, 2013, 10:14:56 AM
WTOP Radio:  Reston citizens worried the Silver Line will bring gridlock (http://www.wtop.com/654/3227631/Reston-worries-about-Silver-Line-gridlock)

QuoteSome Reston residents are worried that the opening the first phase of Metro's Silver Line will make traffic worse near one of the stations scheduled to open at the end of the year.

QuoteThe concern is that extra cars parking at the Wiehle-Reston East station's 2,300 space parking garage could further choke traffic on Wiehle Avenue.

Quote"It's already a focal point for congestion because of the Dulles Toll Road next to it," says Terry Maynard, with the Reston Citizens Association.

Quote"This situation with more cars coming there to park for Metrorail will make a bad situation worse."

QuoteParking garages of that size aren't uncommon in the Metro system. For example, the New Carrollton station at the end of the Orange Line has a garage with 3,519 spaces.

Quote"I live one block from Wiehle Avenue, and I don't think it's going to have any more gridlock than we have today," says Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 24, 2013, 02:38:06 PM
Fairfax Times:  Dulles Toll Road hike sends few looking for detours (http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130221/NEWS/130229613/-1/dulles-toll-road-hike-sends-few-looking-for-detours&template=fairfaxTimes)

QuoteAs tolls continue to rise on the Dulles Toll Road, one concern often cited by elected officials is that more drivers will choose to take other, already congested, routes or cut through residential neighborhoods in order to avoid the toll.

QuoteHowever, so far, most drivers seem to be willing to pay for the faster route, according to reports by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road.

QuoteThe 25-cent increase in 2012 led to a 1.6 percent decline in the number of toll road transactions last year, as compared to 2011. The toll road recorded just under 100 million transactions last year.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 24, 2013, 07:05:25 PM
WTOP Radio: Massive transportation plan to have little impact on tolls (http://www.wtop.com/120/3232534/Massive-transportation-plan-to-have-little-impact-on-tolls)

QuoteThe massive transportation package approved by Virginia's General Assembly will provide almost $1 billion per year in new money for roads and rail, but in the long term it will have very little impact on tolls.

QuoteThe deal did ban tolls on Interstate 95, south of the proposed Express Lanes.

QuoteIt also included $300 million for the second phase of the Dulles Rail extension project that will reduce increases on the Dulles Toll Road in the immediate future by about 50 cents.

QuoteBut the biggest toll of them all on the privately owned Dulles Greenway will not be affected.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on March 09, 2013, 07:40:09 PM
Loudoun Times: Dulles Greenway hearing planned for Sterling (http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/Dulles_Greenway_hearing_planned_for_Sterling543)

QuoteThe State Corporation Commission (SCC) will host hearings on the Dulles Greenway toll rates at Park View High School in Sterling on June 6 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

QuoteThe Sterling sessions were scheduled at the request of state Del. David Ramadan (R-87th) after the SCC originally planned a Loudoun County hearing only in the western half of the county, in Purcellville.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on March 15, 2013, 08:54:03 AM
Washingtonexaminer.com: Dulles Toll Road fees could rise as Silver Line funding questions linger (http://washingtonexaminer.com/dulles-toll-road-fees-could-rise-as-silver-line-funding-questions-linger/article/2524402)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on March 24, 2013, 11:04:52 PM
WTOP Radio: Northern Virginia couple gives birth on Dulles Toll Rd. (http://www.wtop.com/41/3255120/Couple-gives-birth-on-Dulles-Toll-Road)

QuoteA Northern Virginia mother-to-be planned to deliver her baby this morning in the comfy confines of the hospital -- but sometimes babies don't wait.

QuoteJean-Paul Bergeaux of Leesburg says things happened very quickly this morning as he rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital.

Quote"At 6:45 she went from, "˜I think I have some contractions' to, 'Oh my gosh I'm in labor!'" says Bergeaux, speaking from his wife's room at the Reston Hospital Center.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on April 19, 2013, 09:24:19 PM
Group of winning bidders on phase 2 of Dulles Rail have been announced.

Details in the AAROADS Mass Transit forum here (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=9294.0).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on April 19, 2013, 10:11:45 PM
TOLLROADSnews: Fitch reduces Dulles Greenway's bond rating to BB+ from BBB-, outlook 'stable' short-term (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6517)

QuoteThe Dulles Greenway's holding company Toll Roads Investors Partnership II (TRIP2) $-billion of outstanding bonds have been downrated by Fitch from BBB- to BB+, reflecting what the rating firm says is high leverage, expected thin coverage of debt service and dependence for liquidity on increases in tolls beyond already high levels.

QuoteManagement is engaged in what it calls "cash trapping" and has a flexible amortization schedule which gives it some flexibility but the fundamentals aren't consistent with triple rating.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on May 21, 2013, 10:45:10 PM
[This is more about MWAA as an institution, but  since it collects the tolls on the Dulles Toll Road, it seems relevant here]

Washington Post: Old friends were at center of a network of public contracts (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/old-friends-were-at-center-of-a-network-of-public-contracts/2013/05/21/b2a41f9a-b8cf-11e2-aa9e-a02b765ff0ea_story.html)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on July 21, 2013, 08:06:34 AM
Washington Post: Metro's new Silver Line could face challenge in attracting Northern Virginia riders (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metros-new-silver-line-has-to-attract-riders/2013/07/19/ba28b8b2-e33f-11e2-80eb-3145e2994a55_story.html)

QuoteMetro is preparing for what experts say is its toughest challenge since opening 37 years ago: luring people onto the new Silver Line in Northern Virginia.

QuoteWhen the first phase of the 23-mile line opens next year, the gleaming new trains will no doubt revive the debate over whether mass-transit projects attract enough riders to make them worthwhile.

QuoteA recent Washington Post poll has found that it may be a tough argument to win.

QuoteThe vast majority of Northern Virginians rely on cars to go where they need to go, and 70 percent of infrequent Metro riders say one reason they don't ride the rails more often is that they just prefer driving.

QuoteA shrinking minority of Northern Virginians – 12 percent in the new poll – report taking Metrorail often, but riders and non-riders alike continue to give the system overwhelmingly positive marks. Half say they would ride the new Silver Line frequently or at least sometimes.

QuoteThe Silver Line's opening puts plenty at stake for a state that has been deeply conflicted over transportation priorities. Road advocates are pushing for new highways and wider arteries and have criticized the use of Dulles Toll Road revenue to help pay for construction of the new rail line.

QuoteIf the Silver Line falls short of expectations, it could frustrate transit advocates' efforts to further expand Metro and anger some riders of Metro's Blue Line, who are already annoyed by service cuts made to accommodate the Silver Line.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 05, 2013, 04:38:02 PM
TOLLROADSnews: TransCore likely to get uncompeted $16.5m maintenance contract at Dulles Toll Road (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6721)

QuoteTransCore is being awarded a $16.5m on-call maintenance and conversion contract at the Dulles Toll Road toll collection system. The uncompeted contract is justified by the operator Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on the grounds that their price is "fair & reasonable" and that the existing 17 year old toll system was developed by TransCore in the first place and they have proprietary rights to the equipment and software so it "can only be repaired/replaced by the incumbent (contractor)."

QuoteThe "procurement justification" document filed by staffer Thomas Flowers at MWAA requests board approval of the contract providing for TransCore to keep performing maintenance "until a decision is made on replacing the (toll) collection system."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 23, 2013, 03:37:53 PM
TOLLROADSnews: Dulles Toll Road operator aiming for at least 90% ET before dumping cash (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6743)

Quote2013-09-19: The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) operator of the Dulles Toll Road (DTR) is planning to get E-ZPass electronic toll (ET) usage to "above 90%" before considering a transition to open road tolling.  MWAA staffer Chris Browne said this in a slide in a presentation to the Dulles Corridor committee this week.

QuoteThey are presently at about 81% ET, 7% coin machines, 11% toll collectors, 1% violations. Background material in a CDMSmith traffic and revenue study completed early this year says 67% of trips on the DTR are travel to and from work and 12% are employment-related so it is heavily oriented to regular users.

QuoteThe mainline plaza does an average 110k toll transactions/weekday, while about 200k transactions/weekday are are rung up at some 19 ramp toll points. (Most trips involve both a mainline toll and a ramp toll.) Although the DTR runs close to Dulles International Airport it has rather little Airport-oriented traffic because there is an untolled 2x2 lane Dulles Airport Access Road set in the median of the tollroad.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 30, 2013, 03:32:34 PM
Washington Post: Loudoun board formally joins Dulles Greenway toll rate complaint (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/loudoun-board-formally-joins-greenway-toll-rate-complaint/2013/09/27/cd1aece6-26c0-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html)

QuoteLoudoun County critics of the Dulles Greenway received support last week from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, which granted the county Board of Supervisors' request to join an investigation of the controversial rate structure and the tolls charged by the road's private operators.

QuoteThe SCC agreed to allow the Loudoun board to serve as a respondent in the case, which will allow the county to cross-examine witnesses and become a formal part of the proceedings, county officials said.

QuoteAfter years of complaints about the high tolls along the privately owned 14-mile road, its operator, Toll Road Investors Partnership II, filed a request in November seeking approval for another rate increase.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 22, 2013, 02:29:17 PM
TOLLROADSnews: Dulles Toll Road booms - heads for $125m this year, up more than 20% (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6782)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 22, 2013, 02:31:21 PM
WTOP: Greenway toll hike to be challenged before state commission (http://www.wtop.com/654/3488014/Proposed-toll-hike-to-face-challenge)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 13, 2013, 06:13:32 PM
Washington Post: Airport wants drivers to stop dodging the Dulles Toll Road (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2013/11/13/airport-wants-drivers-to-stop-dodging-the-dulles-toll-road/)

QuoteDrivers hopping on the Dulles Access Highway to avoid paying a toll are going to encounter a beefed up police presence, officials announced this week.

QuoteThis campaign is meant to discourage drivers near Dulles International Airport from using the access road when they should be using the Dulles Toll Road, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road as well as Dulles and Reagan National Airport.

QuoteThe access road exists for traffic going to and from the airport, the authority said, while the toll road is meant for local traffic and other commuters. Drivers who get onto the access road when they aren't actually going to the airport – this is called "backtracking"  – can get hit with a fine as well as points on their license.

Quote"Backtracking through Dulles is cheating and it is illegal,"  MWAA Police Chief Stephen L. Holl said in a statement. "It's not fair to those who play by the rules and stick to the Toll Road for commuting and local travel. Our ongoing efforts to curb this illegal practice will help ensure the Access Highway is used properly."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 PM
Shunpiking is now a points violation?  :ded: I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: NE2 on November 13, 2013, 07:21:47 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 PM
Shunpiking is now a points violation?  :ded: I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.
The DAAR is an access road owned by the airport. One free alternative is State Route 7.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: agentsteel53 on November 13, 2013, 07:22:18 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 13, 2013, 08:58:10 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 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 (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+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 (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-819.5).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 13, 2013, 09:01:56 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on November 13, 2013, 07:22:18 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:36:05 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 13, 2013, 09:01:56 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on November 13, 2013, 07:22:18 PM
Quote from: Big John on November 13, 2013, 07:07:47 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mrsman 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: oscar on November 17, 2013, 09:52:36 PM
Quote from: mrsman 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.

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). 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 17, 2013, 10:23:47 PM
Quote from: mrsman 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.

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) (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.934293,-77.246785&num=1&t=h&gl=us&z=17), Beulah Road (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.942471,-77.28305&hl=en&ll=38.942471,-77.283046&spn=0.008161,0.015857&sll=38.942438,-77.283089&sspn=0.008161,0.015857&t=h&gl=us&z=16) and Monroe Street (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.953285,-77.388729&hl=en&ll=38.953285,-77.388725&spn=0.00816,0.015857&sll=38.953168,-77.388768&sspn=0.00816,0.015857&t=h&gl=us&z=16) 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.

Quote from: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:49:15 PMBut 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 from: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:49:15 PMPaying 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 21, 2013, 10:42:14 AM
NBC4 (WRC-TV):  Virginia Man Drives Up $200,000 Tab on Dulles Toll Road (http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/weird/Virginia-Man-Drives-Up-200000-Tab-on-Dulles-Toll-Road-232760361.html)

QuotePaying 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.

QuoteJason 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.

QuoteA 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.

QuoteThis 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 (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6842)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 11:06:47 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 17, 2013, 10:23:47 PM
....

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."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: oscar on November 21, 2013, 11:45:23 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 11:06:47 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. 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 12:17:06 PM
Quote from: oscar on November 21, 2013, 11:45:23 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 11:06:47 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. 

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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 22, 2013, 11:31:27 PM
Quote from: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:36:05 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.

Quote from: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:36:05 PM
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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Flyer78 on November 23, 2013, 10:46:07 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 12:17:06 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: jeffandnicole 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. 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 23, 2013, 07:06:25 PM
Quote from: Flyer78 on November 23, 2013, 10:46:07 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 21, 2013, 12:17:06 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.

Quote from: jeffandnicole 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.

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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mrsman on November 25, 2013, 11:12:34 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 17, 2013, 10:23:47 PM

Quote from: mrsman on November 17, 2013, 08:49:15 PMBut 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on November 27, 2013, 08:45:08 PM
Washington Post:  Metro's Silver Line is coming to Tysons, but don't look for lots of new commuter parking (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/metros-silver-line-is-coming-to-tysons-but-dont-look-for-lots-of-new-commuter-parking/2013/11/27/d6139e78-41b0-11e3-a751-f032898f2dbc_story.html)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mrsman 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 18, 2013, 08:21:23 PM
WTOP Radio: Dulles Toll Road tolls to jump by 43 percent (http://www.wtop.com/41/3527421/Prepare-to-pay-more-on-Dulles-Toll-Road)

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

QuoteBeginning 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.

QuoteThe 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on December 24, 2013, 04:26:32 PM
Washington Post: Officers nab 116 "˜backtrackers' at Dulles Airport (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2013/12/17/officers-nab-116-backtrackers-at-dulles-airport/)

QuoteOfficials 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."

QuoteAirport 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?

QuoteOfficials 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 03, 2014, 04:53:44 PM
Washington Business Journal via WTOP: Dulles Greenway owner requests 15-cent toll hike (http://www.wtop.com/654/3534795/Dulles-Greenway-owner-requests-15-cent-toll-hike)

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

QuoteThe 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...)

QuoteGreenway 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.

QuoteTRIP II is requesting that the new toll take effect on Feb. 15.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mtantillo 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 17, 2014, 08:33:19 PM
Washington Post: MWAA to get permanent federal oversight (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/01/17/mwaa-to-get-permanent-federal-oversight/)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on January 31, 2014, 10:46:59 PM
Washington Business Journal via WTOP: Examiner recommends no change to Greenway tolls (http://www.wtop.com/41/3553783/The-report-on-Dulles-Greenway-tolls-is-in)

QuoteThe 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.

QuoteIn 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.

Quote"I am unable to find that the Greenway's toll rates are appropriately subject to modification in this proceeding," Berkebile wrote.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Alps on February 23, 2014, 01:33:35 AM
Silver Line discussion has been moved to Mass Transit (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?board=37.0).

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11685.0 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11685.0)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on April 11, 2014, 03:14:31 PM
WTOP Radio: Greenway tolls go up on Friday, again (http://www.wtop.com/654/3600667/Dulles-Greenway-tolls-go-up-again)

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

QuoteA 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.

Quote"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.

Quote"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."

QuoteRamadan 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.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: mrsman on April 18, 2014, 01:04:45 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 11, 2014, 03:14:31 PM
WTOP Radio: Greenway tolls go up on Friday, again (http://www.wtop.com/654/3600667/Dulles-Greenway-tolls-go-up-again)

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

QuoteA 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.

Quote"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.

Quote"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."

QuoteRamadan 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.

I hate high tolls and the Greenway's tolls are a lot higher than most of the roads that I travel.  So I know that I would probably shunpike as well if I had to drive through that corridor, even though I might consider paying for the Dulles Toll Road if traffic were high.

Yet that being said, it is a private enterprise.  And I feel they can charge what they want, even if I don't like it.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on April 18, 2014, 04:56:05 PM
I don't head to Leesburg all that often, so when I do go out there I tend to use the Greenway because of the time savings. If I had to commute from out that way, however, I'd find another route even if it took longer. The money would simply add up to be too much too quickly.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on June 02, 2014, 02:52:33 AM
Washington Post: Higher tolls pushing many off the Dulles Toll Road (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/higher-tolls-pushing-many-off-the-dulles-toll-road/2014/05/31/e3dd933c-e11b-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html)

QuoteWhen the Dulles Toll Road was built in 1984, it was meant to provide quick local access to the interchanges between the Capital Beltway and Dulles International Airport. An average of 327,296 vehicles traverse the roadway daily. But after five straight years of toll increases, many drivers have decided that the convenience, such that it is, is no longer worth the cost.

Quote"You talk to people and they go, "˜Oh, hell, no – I don't use the toll road,' "  said Tammi Petrine, a longtime Reston resident who used to use it but now avoids it whenever possible.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on February 17, 2015, 03:46:29 PM
Washington Post: No signs of relief from Dulles Greenway toll increases (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/no-signs-of-relief-from-dulles-greenwat-toll-increases/2015/02/13/240f8a3e-b392-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html)

QuoteLegislative attempts to halt the steadily rising tolls on the privately owned Dulles Greenway have failed in Richmond in recent weeks, deepening frustration among local officials and commuters who have long opposed the road's price structure.

QuoteDel. David I. Ramadan (R-Loudoun) is one of the most outspoken critics of the toll rates implemented by the greenway's operator, Toll Road Investors Partnership II. Ramadan introduced a bill to the Virginia General Assembly last month that aimed to force TRIP II to lower its rates and apply distance-based pricing – meaning that drivers would pay only for the mileage they travel.

QuoteBut the bill died Feb. 5 in the House Commerce and Labor Committee, despite testimony from Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott K. York (R-At Large) and regulatory expert Robert Van Hoecke in favor of the legislation.

QuoteRamadan vowed to continue the battle and said that the road's owners had used "every bit of their influence"  to kill the bill.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I need some advice here. I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport. I'm not so much concerned about being stopped by police cruisers but any violations issued to the rental car company and the resulting admin fee they charge in addition to any fines.

On a related note one of my journeys will take me northwest from the airport towards Leesburg. I believe the Greenway is tolled for all vehicles including airport traffic. A free alternative appears to be VA 28 and then 7 westwards to Leesburg. Is this a viable shunpike? Some work is taking place to upgrade a few of the junctions on VA 7 to interchanges. Is this causing delays?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: AlexandriaVA on September 13, 2017, 01:58:02 PM
I can't speak to your second question, but I don't understand your first question. What violations and administration fees are you talking about?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 13, 2017, 02:23:41 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I need some advice here. I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport. I'm not so much concerned about being stopped by police cruisers but any violations issued to the rental car company and the resulting admin fee they charge in addition to any fines.

This should not be a problem for you.  If you are using a rental company on-airport (and at Dulles, that is where most of them are),  you will not have a problem with the MWAA (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority) Police.

If you mean automated enforcement (red lights and speed enforcement cameras) and you activate one, then you are going to get nailed - and probably nailed with added fees and charges from the rental car company. These are much more common in Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia) than in other places (and their use in Virginia is severely limited by state law).  If you mean toll charges for driving on toll roads and toll crossings without an E-ZPass transponder, see below.

Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
On a related note one of my journeys will take me northwest from the airport towards Leesburg. I believe the Greenway is tolled for all vehicles including airport traffic. A free alternative appears to be VA 28 and then 7 westwards to Leesburg. Is this a viable shunpike? Some work is taking place to upgrade a few of the junctions on VA 7 to interchanges. Is this causing delays?

1.  Unlike travel from Dulles to the east, there is no "free" freeway-class alternative route to VA-267 (Dulles Greenway) between VA-28 and U.S. 15 near Leesburg. 

2.  Most of the Dulles Greenway accepts payment by E-ZPass transponder or credit card swipe only.  However, the main toll barrier (located here (https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B058'33.9%22N+77%C2%B026'41.6%22W/@38.97608,-77.4536611,15z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x89b6415619677219:0x4041f0fc4316ad83!2sChantilly,+VA!3b1!8m2!3d38.8942786!4d-77.4310992!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d38.9760799!4d-77.4449006)) is an exception, and accepts payment in cash at certain times (details here (https://www.dullesgreenway.com/))

3.  VA-7 (Harry Byrd Highway) can have severe congestion during peak commute times (roughly 0600 to 0900 and 1500 to 1900) in either direction.  It is indeed used as a way to shunpike the Dulles Greenway.  The combination of VA-28, VA-640 (Waxpool Road), VA-625 (Ashburn Farm Parkway) and VA-643 (Sycolin Road) (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.9679834,-77.4291367/Leesburg,+Virginia/@39.0340948,-77.6482841,11z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m15!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4647929!2d39.0147083!3s0x89b638d609c3934d:0x60f26bf92a40246!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4870242!2d39.0275652!3s0x89b63edb456ab687:0x5c9af33c59f0c49a!3m4!1m2!1d-77.5191637!2d39.0409711!3s0x89b63e5fb9ab1773:0x90467e70b9888d01!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b63d83d53b39bb:0xb1920f56e3f9bdf3!2m2!1d-77.5636015!2d39.1156615!3e0) is another shunpike route, though I have not tried it during peak commute times.

You  probably already know this - but anyway - do not use the E-ZPass transponders that come with most rental cars unless you absolutely have to.  They are seriously overpriced and most of them charge a daily rate (if you use it even once) for the duration of your rental.   If you have need for an E-ZPass transponder and cannot get one, send me a PM and maybe we can work something out (I have a spare).

Also - in Virginia - remember that the Commonwealth has severe penalties for reckless driving, and it is pretty easy to get banged with reckless driving by speed.  Breaking the speed limit by 20 MPH anywhere, or exceeding 80 MPH anywhere (even with posted limit of 70 MPH) leaves you open to a reckless driving ticket, which is a criminal offense, not a traffic violation.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: jeffandnicole on September 13, 2017, 02:29:58 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I need some advice here. I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport. I'm not so much concerned about being stopped by police cruisers but any violations issued to the rental car company and the resulting admin fee they charge in addition to any fines.

Just make sure you don't go thru any lane marked 'EZ Pass Only', and you'll be fine.

Also, don't speed by speed cameras if you're in DC. If there's red light cameras, stop at the red lights.

Other than that, you shouldn't have a problem.

Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 02:35:11 PM
Thanks for you help everyone. Regarding E-ZPass transponders I learnt this the hard way many years ago. I used it on the first and last day of a week long trip and was billed for all the intervening days as well :banghead:

As cash and card are still options I may not have any problems if I'm forced to use tollways. Just depends if $6 is better than taking slower roads which use more gas.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: AlexandriaVA on September 13, 2017, 03:10:08 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 13, 2017, 02:29:58 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I need some advice here. I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport. I'm not so much concerned about being stopped by police cruisers but any violations issued to the rental car company and the resulting admin fee they charge in addition to any fines.

Just make sure you don't go thru any lane marked 'EZ Pass Only', and you'll be fine.

Also, don't speed by speed cameras if you're in DC. If there's red light cameras, stop at the red lights.

Other than that, you shouldn't have a problem.

I'd go further and advise our guest to stop at all red lights, irrespective of a camera or not...
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: jeffandnicole on September 13, 2017, 03:20:44 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on September 13, 2017, 03:10:08 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 13, 2017, 02:29:58 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I need some advice here. I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport. I'm not so much concerned about being stopped by police cruisers but any violations issued to the rental car company and the resulting admin fee they charge in addition to any fines.

Just make sure you don't go thru any lane marked 'EZ Pass Only', and you'll be fine.

Also, don't speed by speed cameras if you're in DC. If there's red light cameras, stop at the red lights.

Other than that, you shouldn't have a problem.

I'd go further and advise our guest to stop at all red lights, irrespective of a camera or not...

Hey, he was only concerned what would result in violations resulting in admin fees and fines.

I might as well say that he should follow all rules of the road then if I need to spell everything out.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: LM117 on September 13, 2017, 03:37:44 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 13, 2017, 02:23:41 PMAlso - in Virginia - remember that the Commonwealth has severe penalties for reckless driving, and it is pretty easy to get banged with reckless driving by speed.  Breaking the speed limit by 20 MPH anywhere, or exceeding 80 MPH anywhere (even with posted limit of 70 MPH) leaves you open to a reckless driving ticket, which is a criminal offense, not a traffic violation.

This can't be emphasized enough. Virginia doesn't fuck around when it comes to speeding, even if it's not quite fast enough to warrant a Reckless Driving charge. Ticket revenue is a big deal here.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 03:58:01 PM
Quote from: LM117 on September 13, 2017, 03:37:44 PMVirginia doesn't fuck around when it comes to speeding, even if it's not quite fast enough to warrant a Reckless Driving charge. Ticket revenue is a big deal here.

Yes, I was done years ago on I-77 in Bland County coming out of one of the tunnels. Cop was in a plain Charger. I was speeding for about 10 seconds just to get past a couple of trucks who were blocking my view.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: odditude on September 14, 2017, 09:28:05 AM
a few comments from a new transplant to the area...

Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 13, 2017, 02:23:41 PM
2.  Most of the Dulles Greenway accepts payment by E-ZPass transponder or credit card swipe only.  However, the main toll barrier (located here (https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B058'33.9%22N+77%C2%B026'41.6%22W/@38.97608,-77.4536611,15z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x89b6415619677219:0x4041f0fc4316ad83!2sChantilly,+VA!3b1!8m2!3d38.8942786!4d-77.4310992!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d38.9760799!4d-77.4449006)) is an exception, and accepts payment in cash at certain times (details here (https://www.dullesgreenway.com/))
I avoid the Greenway at all costs; tolls on this section of VA-267 are extortionate, with a bare-minimum $5.50 toll as soon as you pass the airport, and additional toll upon exiting.

Quote from: cpzilliacus3.  VA-7 (Harry Byrd Highway) can have severe congestion during peak commute times (roughly 0600 to 0900 and 1500 to 1900) in either direction.  It is indeed used as a way to shunpike the Dulles Greenway.  The combination of VA-28, VA-640 (Waxpool Road), VA-625 (Ashburn Farm Parkway) and VA-643 (Sycolin Road) (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.9679834,-77.4291367/Leesburg,+Virginia/@39.0340948,-77.6482841,11z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m15!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4647929!2d39.0147083!3s0x89b638d609c3934d:0x60f26bf92a40246!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4870242!2d39.0275652!3s0x89b63edb456ab687:0x5c9af33c59f0c49a!3m4!1m2!1d-77.5191637!2d39.0409711!3s0x89b63e5fb9ab1773:0x90467e70b9888d01!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b63d83d53b39bb:0xb1920f56e3f9bdf3!2m2!1d-77.5636015!2d39.1156615!3e0) is another shunpike route, though I have not tried it during peak commute times.
Waxpool Rd can be very messy in the immediate area of VA-28 (there are warning lights on the advance signage for the left exit from VA-28 NB warning of this) but the traffic tapers off fairly quickly. A decent chunk of traffic turns left to follow Waxpool Rd instead of continuing straight onto Ashburn Farm Pkwy, which helps.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 14, 2017, 11:43:25 AM
Quote from: odditude on September 14, 2017, 09:28:05 AM
a few comments from a new transplant to the area...

Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 13, 2017, 02:23:41 PM
2.  Most of the Dulles Greenway accepts payment by E-ZPass transponder or credit card swipe only.  However, the main toll barrier (located here (https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B058'33.9%22N+77%C2%B026'41.6%22W/@38.97608,-77.4536611,15z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x89b6415619677219:0x4041f0fc4316ad83!2sChantilly,+VA!3b1!8m2!3d38.8942786!4d-77.4310992!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d38.9760799!4d-77.4449006)) is an exception, and accepts payment in cash at certain times (details here (https://www.dullesgreenway.com/))
I avoid the Greenway at all costs; tolls on this section of VA-267 are extortionate, with a bare-minimum $5.50 toll as soon as you pass the airport, and additional toll upon exiting.

There are no ramp tolls on the Dulles Greenway if you drive through the main toll plaza (note that there are ramp tolls after the main barrier if you drive the Dulles Toll Road).

Quote from: odditude on September 14, 2017, 09:28:05 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus3.  VA-7 (Harry Byrd Highway) can have severe congestion during peak commute times (roughly 0600 to 0900 and 1500 to 1900) in either direction.  It is indeed used as a way to shunpike the Dulles Greenway.  The combination of VA-28, VA-640 (Waxpool Road), VA-625 (Ashburn Farm Parkway) and VA-643 (Sycolin Road) (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.9679834,-77.4291367/Leesburg,+Virginia/@39.0340948,-77.6482841,11z/data=!4m24!4m23!1m15!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4647929!2d39.0147083!3s0x89b638d609c3934d:0x60f26bf92a40246!3m4!1m2!1d-77.4870242!2d39.0275652!3s0x89b63edb456ab687:0x5c9af33c59f0c49a!3m4!1m2!1d-77.5191637!2d39.0409711!3s0x89b63e5fb9ab1773:0x90467e70b9888d01!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b63d83d53b39bb:0xb1920f56e3f9bdf3!2m2!1d-77.5636015!2d39.1156615!3e0) is another shunpike route, though I have not tried it during peak commute times.
Waxpool Rd can be very messy in the immediate area of VA-28 (there are warning lights on the advance signage for the left exit from VA-28 NB warning of this) but the traffic tapers off fairly quickly. A decent chunk of traffic turns left to follow Waxpool Rd instead of continuing straight onto Ashburn Farm Pkwy, which helps.

Agree about the warning lights on VA-28.  Because of the lack of ramp tolls for traffic on the Dulles Greenway, the per-mile charge for short trips is rather unreasonable, and I can see why people going only a few miles west of VA-28 do not want pay those hefty tolls to use it. 

At least drivers that go all the way to Leesburg spread those toll charges out over a longer distance.  If I am out that way, I am usually driving all the way to the opposite end.  I have used the Greenway a few times for work, driving from the main barrier to VA-659, but I got reimbursed by my employer for those trips. I would probably shunpike if I was making that trip on  a regular basis.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on September 16, 2017, 05:01:22 PM
Regarding the tolls on the Greenway (the portion of VA-267 west of the VA-28 interchange), the way the tolls operate is pretty much the opposite of the way the tolls operate on the Dulles Toll Road (the portion of 267 east of the VA-28 interchange).

On the Dulles Toll Road, there is the main toll plaza in Tysons that has a $2.50 toll (the signs put this in extremely small print for some idiotic reason, so if you're paying cash, be prepared). Then there are ramp tolls at just about every interchange (a few very minor exceptions) for people entering the toll road eastbound and exiting westbound. The principle here is that westbound traffic might be heading to the airport, so the road is set up to allow you to get to the Dulles Access Road (free lanes) without paying a toll. Same principle eastbound–eastbound traffic might be coming from the airport, so most of the ramps have no tolls in order to allow airport traffic to exit free. An exception is at VA-7, but since there is a direct exit from the Access Road that one doesn't matter. There is also a westbound entry toll and an eastbound exit toll at Spring Hill Road with no free option at that interchange for airport users.

The Greenway is different. The main toll plaza is just west of VA-28 and the toll differs depending on whether you're coming from the Dulles Toll Road or from VA-28 (the lanes are set up such that you need not worry about the difference). The reason the toll differs is that you have to "exit" the state-operated Toll Road onto the privately-owned Greenway, which involves paying an exit toll, but in order to avoid having two toll plazas so close to each other the Greenway people collect the Toll Road toll for the state. The toll is currently $6.50 at rush hour and $5.55 at other times. There are then no tolls at any of the westbound exits. Eastbound, there are no entry tolls anywhere; if you enter at Leesburg and drive the whole Greenway, you pay only at the main toll plaza near the airport. However, there are entry tolls on the westbound ramps and exit tolls on the eastbound ramps.

Two things to know about the Greenway:

(1) When you exit eastbound, or enter westbound, the toll is a fixed rate for that interchange no matter how far you go. Suppose you want to exit eastbound at the Loudoun County Parkway to go to Redskins Park. The toll will be $5.50 at rush hour and $4.55 at other times regardless of whether you've come all the way from Leesburg or whether you got on something like two miles to the west in Ashburn (there is no reason to do the latter). Same is true westbound–you pay the toll at the main toll plaza regardless of how far you will go. What this means, practically speaking, is that you should never use the Greenway for short trips. Driving westbound, never exit at Route 606 or the Loudoun County Parkway (especially Route 606!!!) unless Route 28 is closed for some reason. Exit the Dulles Toll Road at Route 28 and bypass the main toll plaza.

(2) Other than at the main toll plaza, the Greenway DOES NOT ACCEPT CASH. It's credit card or E-ZPass only. Even the main toll plaza does not accept cash 24/7. You can find the hours at the following link: https://www.dullesgreenway.com/faqs  (Hopefully this will not result in this becoming another iteration of the tiresome "legal tender" nonsense....)

BTW, use caution at the Dulles Toll Road ramp tolls. Some of them may still have exact-change coin baskets (I'm not positive because I use E-ZPass). If the "Full Service" lane is open, it's not a bad idea to opt for that lane instead of the coin-drop lane if the line is short. The reason? Idiotic aggressive drivers. A lot of E-ZPass users speed through the toll lanes and seem not to realize that there are still cash users out there. While it is, of course, their responsibility to pay attention and to slow down and stop if necessary, it is really scary if you're stopped to throw in your four quarters and you look in the rearview to see a Ford Excursion bearing down on you at 55 mph showing no signs of preparing to stop (this happened to me once back before I got a Smart Tag and I see this sort of thing all the time whenever I exit in Reston).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on September 16, 2017, 05:09:31 PM
Posting this separately from my comment above because it's of historical interest. cpzilliacus and Oscar might remember these ads:

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F_vN46g4NVjSQ%2FSM6WAR16QgI%2FAAAAAAAAAXY%2FOTnr5hef3hU%2Fs400%2Fpca_573_02_11v.jpg&hash=990e68e177e7c85736aefadcb32afb86167944b7)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Febot.gmu.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F1920%2F2065%2Fpca_573_02_09v.jpg%3Fsequence%3D1%26amp%3BisAllowed%3Dy&hash=b492fce6306408a7223285877733092deedea960)

Here is a Washington Post article about them. I can't find any of the "Reston, D.C." ads online, but I remember them. I find it amusing to read the article again all these years later in view of the comments about how "Dulles Toll Road" isn't a good name and they needed to come up with something else.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1984/10/06/reston-proclaims-itself-the-one-for-the-road/628603a1-ed62-461f-b7ed-62e795239e1a/
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Beltway on September 16, 2017, 11:20:55 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 16, 2017, 05:09:31 PM
Here is a Washington Post article about them. I can't find any of the "Reston, D.C." ads online, but I remember them. I find it amusing to read the article again all these years later in view of the comments about how "Dulles Toll Road" isn't a good name and they needed to come up with something else.

Looks like they have settled on it -- http://www.dullestollroad.com/toll/dulles-toll-road

And "Dulles" is part of the name in all four of the associated highways (Greenway, Airport Access Road, Airport Access Road Extension, Toll Road).

Of course they whole thing is also called VA-267 and the Omer L. Hirst — Adelard L. Brault Expressway.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Alps on September 17, 2017, 12:53:01 AM
Quote from: Beltway on September 16, 2017, 11:20:55 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 16, 2017, 05:09:31 PM
Here is a Washington Post article about them. I can't find any of the "Reston, D.C." ads online, but I remember them. I find it amusing to read the article again all these years later in view of the comments about how "Dulles Toll Road" isn't a good name and they needed to come up with something else.

Looks like they have settled on it -- http://www.dullestollroad.com/toll/dulles-toll-road

And "Dulles" is part of the name in all four of the associated highways (Greenway, Airport Access Road, Airport Access Road Extension, Toll Road).

Of course they whole thing is also called VA-267 and the Omer L. Hirst — Adelard L. Brault Expressway.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1984/10/13/getting-the-picture/e4637bc2-2cd1-49cd-a8d5-6ee483463aa9/?utm_term=.1cc05b9bb05e
It would appear that the "Reston Expressway" name comes from the Reston Land Company only.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Beltway on September 17, 2017, 07:07:48 AM
Quote from: Alps on September 17, 2017, 12:53:01 AM
Quote from: Beltway on September 16, 2017, 11:20:55 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 16, 2017, 05:09:31 PM
Here is a Washington Post article about them. I can't find any of the "Reston, D.C." ads online, but I remember them. I find it amusing to read the article again all these years later in view of the comments about how "Dulles Toll Road" isn't a good name and they needed to come up with something else.
Looks like they have settled on it -- http://www.dullestollroad.com/toll/dulles-toll-road
And "Dulles" is part of the name in all four of the associated highways (Greenway, Airport Access Road, Airport Access Road Extension, Toll Road).
Of course they whole thing is also called VA-267 and the Omer L. Hirst — Adelard L. Brault Expressway.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1984/10/13/getting-the-picture/e4637bc2-2cd1-49cd-a8d5-6ee483463aa9/?utm_term=.1cc05b9bb05e
It would appear that the "Reston Expressway" name comes from the Reston Land Company only.

Reston is one of several major locations served by the toll road.  Also, Herndon, Tysons Corner, Dulles Airport.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: abefroman329 on October 25, 2017, 08:10:58 PM
Quote from: Truvelo on September 13, 2017, 01:48:34 PM
I'll be flying to Dulles soon and I need to know the position on airport business regarding rental cars. I'll be picking up and returning the car to the airport.
\

This falls under the definition of "airport business" as it applies to permissible use of the Dulles Airport Access Road, if that was your question.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: AlexandriaVA on October 26, 2017, 12:15:31 PM
Is buying a coffee at the gas station on the airport grounds still considered legitimate business for the purposes of the airport access road?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: abefroman329 on October 27, 2017, 08:57:07 AM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on October 26, 2017, 12:15:31 PM
Is buying a coffee at the gas station on the airport grounds still considered legitimate business for the purposes of the airport access road?

Maybe.  Keep your receipt, show it to the MWAA cop, see what happens.

They used to tell people that, if you were dropping someone off or picking someone up, and you were on the way to pick them up/on the way home from picking them up, you should carry a copy of their itinerary with you to prove you had airport business.  The truth is, I used to drive to Dulles from DC or Arlington many times a year for fifteen years, and not once was I pulled over or otherwise asked about my airport business.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 27, 2017, 10:05:13 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on October 27, 2017, 08:57:07 AM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on October 26, 2017, 12:15:31 PM
Is buying a coffee at the gas station on the airport grounds still considered legitimate business for the purposes of the airport access road?

Maybe.  Keep your receipt, show it to the MWAA cop, see what happens.

They used to tell people that, if you were dropping someone off or picking someone up, and you were on the way to pick them up/on the way home from picking them up, you should carry a copy of their itinerary with you to prove you had airport business.  The truth is, I used to drive to Dulles from DC or Arlington many times a year for fifteen years, and not once was I pulled over or otherwise asked about my airport business.

Stopping at the Sunoco station on the airport property is (apparently) in legal terms "airport business." 

Also keep in mind that the MWAA cops follow suspected "backtrackers" and other possible Dulles Airport Access Road scofflaws through the airport property to see if they have business there.  Once they see a driver go in to the Sunoco station, why would they want  to waste their time, when there are plenty of other suspected violators out there?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on October 27, 2017, 02:47:01 PM
Regarding the Dulles Access Road, take note that the HOV exemption on I-66 will end later this year when HO/T operations begin inside the Beltway. Airport traffic will be subject to the same rules on I-66 as other traffic. In practical terms, it essentially means you don't get a break on the toll if you're going to or from the airport.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 27, 2017, 10:13:46 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 27, 2017, 02:47:01 PM
Regarding the Dulles Access Road, take note that the HOV exemption on I-66 will end later this year when HO/T operations begin inside the Beltway. Airport traffic will be subject to the same rules on I-66 as other traffic. In practical terms, it essentially means you don't get a break on the toll if you're going to or from the airport.

You still get a break on the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) if you use the Dulles Access Road.  But you will no longer get a break on the (new) I-66 tolls (or an  exemption on the HOV-2 restriction on I-66 between the Dulles Connector Road and Rosslyn).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on October 28, 2017, 07:52:29 AM
I imagine that's going to muck up more than a few drivers when it begins...
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on October 28, 2017, 11:07:34 AM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on October 27, 2017, 10:13:46 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 27, 2017, 02:47:01 PM
Regarding the Dulles Access Road, take note that the HOV exemption on I-66 will end later this year when HO/T operations begin inside the Beltway. Airport traffic will be subject to the same rules on I-66 as other traffic. In practical terms, it essentially means you don't get a break on the toll if you're going to or from the airport.

You still get a break on the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) if you use the Dulles Access Road.  But you will no longer get a break on the (new) I-66 tolls (or an  exemption on the HOV-2 restriction on I-66 between the Dulles Connector Road and Rosslyn).

Well, there is no toll on the Access Road and never has been, so I don't view that as "a break on the tolls." I was referring to the new I-66 tolls. I kind of figured "subject to the same rules on I-66 as other traffic" indicated what I meant. Sorry if I was unclear.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: abefroman329 on October 30, 2017, 02:23:41 PM
Quote from: froggie on October 28, 2017, 07:52:29 AM
I imagine that's going to muck up more than a few drivers when it begins...

Why?  Drivers alone in their cars weren't exempt from the HOV restrictions on 66 prior to the HO/T designation. 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on October 30, 2017, 02:37:40 PM
They were if they were going to/from Dulles.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 30, 2017, 10:24:15 PM
Quote from: froggie on October 30, 2017, 02:37:40 PM
They were if they were going to/from Dulles.

Adam is correct. 

More details.

HOV restrictions do not (soon did not) apply eastbound during the HOV-2 AM restricted period (6:30 AM to 9:00 AM) for traffic coming directly from the airport on I-66 from the east end of the Dulles Access Road, down the Dulles Connector Road (not signed anywhere - shown as the Dulles Toll Road on Google Maps, runs between VA-123 (Exit 19 on VA-267) and I-66 (Exit 67)) and along I-66 as far east as the Rosslyn Tunnel. 

Westbound, the HOV-2 PM restricted period (4:00 PM to 6:30 PM) for traffic going directly do the airport exemption is (soon, was) from the Rosslyn Tunnel (Exit 73) to the Dulles Connector Road (Exit 67 (westbound only)), then along the Dulles Connector Road to the Dulles Airport Access Road (where airport traffic exits to the left and other traffic continues straight ahead toward VA-123 and the I-66 PM HOV restriction applies as far as Exits 19B and 19A).

There has never been any Dulles HOV exemption from I-66 Exit 64 (I-495) to the Dulles Connector (Exit 67 (again, westbound only)).

All of the above made it difficult for the Virginia State Police to enforce the HOV restrictions in the I-66 corridor inside the Beltway, and especially east of I-66 Exit 67.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on October 31, 2017, 07:32:33 AM
cpzilliacus notes the difficulty the Dulles exemption causes on I-66. Another factor is that according to VDOT, the exemption only applies if you're going to or from the airport to depart on a flight or to pick up someone who's flying in. VDOT claims the exemption doesn't apply if you're putting gas in the car, buying coffee, etc.–that is, all the loopholes people use to get onto the Dulles Access Road.

I have no clue to what extent or how well this part of it is enforced.

It's odd that the way it's stated below doesn't allow for an exemption for returning from the airport after dropping off a departing passenger or for travel after you yourself arrive on an inbound flight.

This is from the "Exceptions" section at the bottom of http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/hov-rulesfaq.asp:

QuoteMotorists traveling to and from Dulles International Airport to go to the airport to board a flight or to pick someone up at the airport are permitted to use I-66 inside the Beltway (I-495) during HOV hours. Motorists traveling to or from Dulles International Airport are not exempt from HOV restrictions on I-66 outside the Beltway (I-495). You are not permitted to use I-66 inside the beltway during HOV hours if you are going to the airport to eat, get coffee, get gas or any other reason other than boarding a plane or picking someone up at the airport.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on October 31, 2017, 09:53:14 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 31, 2017, 07:32:33 AM
cpzilliacus notes the difficulty the Dulles exemption causes on I-66. Another factor is that according to VDOT, the exemption only applies if you're going to or from the airport to depart on a flight or to pick up someone who's flying in. VDOT claims the exemption doesn't apply if you're putting gas in the car, buying coffee, etc.–that is, all the loopholes people use to get onto the Dulles Access Road.

I have no clue to what extent or how well this part of it is enforced.

It's odd that the way it's stated below doesn't allow for an exemption for returning from the airport after dropping off a departing passenger or for travel after you yourself arrive on an inbound flight.

This is from the "Exceptions" section at the bottom of http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/hov-rulesfaq.asp:

QuoteMotorists traveling to and from Dulles International Airport to go to the airport to board a flight or to pick someone up at the airport are permitted to use I-66 inside the Beltway (I-495) during HOV hours. Motorists traveling to or from Dulles International Airport are not exempt from HOV restrictions on I-66 outside the Beltway (I-495). You are not permitted to use I-66 inside the beltway during HOV hours if you are going to the airport to eat, get coffee, get gas or any other reason other than boarding a plane or picking someone up at the airport.

That seems not to be reflected by reality.  Of course, once the tolling on I-66 between I-495 and the Rosslyn Tunnel starts, this becomes mostly irrelevant.

Consider the "captive" Washington Flyer Taxi (http://www.flydulles.com/iad/washington-flyer-taxi-service) fleet, which has a contractual right (granted by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and enforced by the  MWAA Police) to pick-up most persons (arriving passengers or otherwise) desiring a taxi ride from Dulles Airport. 

On more than one weekday afternoon during the westbound HOV restricted period, I have observed dozens of these cabs headed back to Dulles via I-66, the Dulles Connector Road and the Dulles Access Road, with only the driver in the vehicle (nearly all of the Washington Flyer cabs pick-up fares at the airport, but very seldom carry a paying customer to the airport).  Yes, I suppose they can be considered to be headed to the airport to get another fare (is that construed as "picking someone up at the airport"?).

In the mornings, there are other cabs (usually licensed by Arlington County (Va.); City of Alexandria (Va.); the District of Columbia; or (rarely) Prince George's County (Md.)) who run empty eastbound from the airport on the Dulles Airport Access Road, then onto the Dulles Connector and eastbound I-66.  Since they are not involved directly in someone "boarding a plane" (and can presumably  not  prove it if they are stopped), are they in violation?

Personally, I have had business at Dulles associated with my job (but not boarding a plane) where I needed to get from D.C. to the airport in the afternoon, and have used I-66 and the Dulles Connector/Access Road with a clear conscience.

The deadheading cabs do not appear to meet the conditions quoted above, nor did I.

As an aside, I have seldom seen drivers of cabs purchase fuel at the Dulles gas station (previously Exxon, now Sunoco). Presumably they purchase fuel at off-airport locations at lower cost.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on March 31, 2018, 08:06:01 PM
Washington Post: Dulles Toll Road upgrade could foreshadow congestion-priced tolling (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/dulles-toll-road-upgrade-could-foreshadow-congestion-priced-tolling/2018/03/31/2f07cbe2-329f-11e8-8bdd-cdb33a5eef83_story.html)

QuoteDulles Toll Road officials are eager to talk about an equipment upgrade that will bring the more than 30-year-old toll collection system into the modern age. The new system will allow drivers to pay by credit card and offer a self-service option for those who don't have an E-ZPass transponder.

Quote"The current technology of the road is very dated,"  said Margaret E. McKeough, chief operating officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages the toll road. "This is a project that will make sure we keep stable and current the technology that's supporting the toll road operation."

QuoteWhat McKeough and others are reluctant to tout, however, is how the $23.4 million upgrade will give the system the ability to charge variable tolls – such as changing prices based on the time or day or amount of traffic.

Report to the Dulles Corridor Committee Information Report New Enhanced Toll Collection System for Dulles Toll Road (http://www.mwaa.com/sites/default/files/BOD/2018-03/tab_12_information_report_for_new_enhanced_toll_collection_system_for_dulles_toll_road.pdf)  (Adobe Acrobat .pdf, 1.29 MB)
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: odditude on April 12, 2018, 12:16:20 PM
Were there ever plans to construct a direct connection between SR 28 SB and SR 267 WB? From a quick look at a map, it seems like an expansion of the Innovation Ave exit could join with the ramps coming from SR 28 NB, although this might have been intentionally avoided due to weaving concerns.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on April 12, 2018, 01:33:17 PM
Quote from: odditude on April 12, 2018, 12:16:20 PM
Were there ever plans to construct a direct connection between SR 28 SB and SR 267 WB? From a quick look at a map, it seems like an expansion of the Innovation Ave exit could join with the ramps coming from SR 28 NB, although this might have been intentionally avoided due to weaving concerns.

I am not aware of one. 

I think the idea is that such traffic (probably relatively low projected traffic volumes too) can exit VA-28 southbound to VA-606 (Old Ox Road) westbound to VA-267 (Dulles Greenway) westbound (Google map here (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.982315,-77.429432/38.9861036,-77.4508069/38.9931817,-77.4617464/@38.9847091,-77.4656088,14z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0)), though going this way means that drivers must have E-ZPass or a credit card to enter 267 westbound, since the toll barrier on that ramp is always un-staffed.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: odditude on April 12, 2018, 01:43:06 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 12, 2018, 01:33:17 PM
Quote from: odditude on April 12, 2018, 12:16:20 PM
Were there ever plans to construct a direct connection between SR 28 SB and SR 267 WB? From a quick look at a map, it seems like an expansion of the Innovation Ave exit could join with the ramps coming from SR 28 NB, although this might have been intentionally avoided due to weaving concerns.

I am not aware of one. 

I think the idea is that such traffic (probably relatively low projected traffic volumes too) can exit VA-28 southbound to VA-606 (Old Ox Road) westbound to VA-267 (Dulles Greenway) westbound (Google map here (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.982315,-77.429432/38.9861036,-77.4508069/38.9931817,-77.4617464/@38.9847091,-77.4656088,14z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0)), though going this way means that drivers must have E-ZPass or a credit card to enter 267 westbound, since the toll barrier on that ramp is always un-staffed.

It's actually (poorly) signed as such (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9825567,-77.4294336,3a,75y,187.56h,89.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUCKlNudLpRmy1XKMzuH49g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) on SR-28 SB. However, with the increasing industrial traffic on Old Ox Rd, I don't think it's really ideal for the movement.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on April 12, 2018, 10:20:33 PM
Quote from: odditude on April 12, 2018, 01:43:06 PM
It's actually (poorly) signed as such (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9825567,-77.4294336,3a,75y,187.56h,89.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUCKlNudLpRmy1XKMzuH49g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) on SR-28 SB. However, with the increasing industrial traffic on Old Ox Rd, I don't think it's really ideal for the movement.

I doubt that the private owners of the Greenway are interested in paying for that ramp, and I doubt that VDOT would built it for them at no charge.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on May 16, 2018, 03:21:03 PM
Washington Post: Dulles Toll Road users may have to pay more starting next year (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/05/16/dulles-toll-road-users-may-have-to-pay-more-starting-next-year/)

QuoteDrivers on the Dulles Toll Road are likely to pay more to travel the roadway starting next year.

QuoteMembers of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's board of directors were briefed Wednesday on the process for raising tolls on the 14-mile stretch.

QuoteSince 2014, most drivers have been paying $3.50 to drive the toll road – $2.50 at the main toll plaza and $1 at on/off ramps. The next projected increase is expected to boost tolls to $4.75 for the main toll plaza and one ramp transaction. According to financial documents provided by MWAA, that rate is expected to remain in place through 2022 and increase again in 2023 to $6. By 2043, tolls could increase to $11.25 (see chart below).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 30, 2020, 03:24:40 PM
WTOP Radio: Dulles Greenway turns 25; underused pioneer looks ahead in evolving pay-to-drive region (https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2020/09/dulles-greenway-turns-25-underused-pioneer-looks-ahead-in-evolving-pay-to-drive-region/?fbclid=IwAR1uSXAKmK6sbmmllyCBzCzUA98z8Hzw_leCUu6qnMk8L7QAfooUt9SVRaY)

QuoteDulles Greenway turned 25 years old this week, and owners of the 14-mile highway stretching from Virginia's Leesburg to near Dulles International Airport are hoping its next quarter-century will raise the number of drivers who use it.

QuoteKnown locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995. At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.

Quote"The brainchild behind all of this was Maggie Bryant,"  said Renee Hamilton, newly-appointed CEO of Toll Road Investors Partnership II – or TRIP II – which maintains and operates the Greenway.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: famartin on September 30, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 30, 2020, 03:24:40 PM
WTOP Radio: Dulles Greenway turns 25; underused pioneer looks ahead in evolving pay-to-drive region (https://wtop.com/dc-transit/2020/09/dulles-greenway-turns-25-underused-pioneer-looks-ahead-in-evolving-pay-to-drive-region/?fbclid=IwAR1uSXAKmK6sbmmllyCBzCzUA98z8Hzw_leCUu6qnMk8L7QAfooUt9SVRaY)

QuoteDulles Greenway turned 25 years old this week, and owners of the 14-mile highway stretching from Virginia's Leesburg to near Dulles International Airport are hoping its next quarter-century will raise the number of drivers who use it.

QuoteKnown locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995. At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.

Quote"The brainchild behind all of this was Maggie Bryant,"  said Renee Hamilton, newly-appointed CEO of Toll Road Investors Partnership II – or TRIP II – which maintains and operates the Greenway.

They'd probably have more luck getting people to use it if VDOT hadn't decided to continue improving VA 7. Now that nearly all (or is it all now? I haven't taken 7 in a few months) lights are gone, its ever more enticing to skip the Greenway and just use 7.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: sprjus4 on September 30, 2020, 04:17:24 PM
With improvements complete (or almost complete) on VA-7, the VA-28 / VA-7 route is a full freeway (might have a couple RIROs left) between the Dulles Toll Road and Leesburg.

It's a matter of - do you want drive 65 mph and pay a toll, or do you want to drive 55 mph, but pay nothing?

In reality, both routes are moving 65 - 70 mph regardless of whatever the posted speed is.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on September 30, 2020, 05:21:02 PM
Anyone happen to know what the original toll was for the Greenway back in 1995? I remember travelling on it sometime either that fall or, more likely, the following year, but I don't remember how much it was. I remember what the original Dulles Toll Road cost when it opened (50¢ at the main plaza in Tysons and 25¢ at the ramp tolls, except for Route 28 where it was 35¢), but I don't remember as to the Greenway. I didn't use it very often until after 2000 and by then I got a Smart Tag and have never paid much attention to the rates since then.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: sprjus4 on September 30, 2020, 05:39:17 PM
^

Quote from: famartin on September 30, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
QuoteKnown locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995. At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Dirt Roads on September 30, 2020, 09:22:10 PM
Quote from: famartin on September 30, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
Known locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 30, 2020, 05:21:02 PM
Anyone happen to know what the original toll was for the Greenway back in 1995? I remember travelling on it sometime either that fall or, more likely, the following year, but I don't remember how much it was. I remember what the original Dulles Toll Road cost when it opened (50¢ at the main plaza in Tysons and 25¢ at the ramp tolls, except for Route 28 where it was 35¢), but I don't remember as to the Greenway. I didn't use it very often until after 2000 and by then I got a Smart Tag and have never paid much attention to the rates since then.
Quote from: sprjus4 on September 30, 2020, 05:39:17 PM
At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.

My memory is getting vague, but I am sure that the tolls were much higher when the Greenway first opened.  When the Greenway opened, I lived just off Route 7 on the west slope of the Blue Ridge and had no traffic lights to get to the District, and then a handful of traffic lights to get to my office in Chantilly.  I remember that the original tolls were $3.85, and I could chop off a bit (perhaps 35 cents) by getting off at the Old Ox Road (SR-606) exit.  From there I could fight traffic on Sully Road (VA-28) or go around the backside of the airport to US-50.  I soon quit using the Greenway by using backroads to avoid the tolls.  There was so little traffic during the first month that the Greenway dropped the tolls in order to encourage customers.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: jeffandnicole on October 01, 2020, 12:00:50 AM
Quote from: Dirt Roads on September 30, 2020, 09:22:10 PM
Quote from: famartin on September 30, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
Known locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 30, 2020, 05:21:02 PM
Anyone happen to know what the original toll was for the Greenway back in 1995? I remember travelling on it sometime either that fall or, more likely, the following year, but I don't remember how much it was. I remember what the original Dulles Toll Road cost when it opened (50¢ at the main plaza in Tysons and 25¢ at the ramp tolls, except for Route 28 where it was 35¢), but I don't remember as to the Greenway. I didn't use it very often until after 2000 and by then I got a Smart Tag and have never paid much attention to the rates since then.
Quote from: sprjus4 on September 30, 2020, 05:39:17 PM
At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.

My memory is getting vague, but I am sure that the tolls were much higher when the Greenway first opened.  When the Greenway opened, I lived just off Route 7 on the west slope of the Blue Ridge and had no traffic lights to get to the District, and then a handful of traffic lights to get to my office in Chantilly.  I remember that the original tolls were $3.85, and I could chop off a bit (perhaps 35 cents) by getting off at the Old Ox Road (SR-606) exit.  From there I could fight traffic on Sully Road (VA-28) or go around the backside of the airport to US-50.  I soon quit using the Greenway by using backroads to avoid the tolls.  There was so little traffic during the first month that the Greenway dropped the tolls in order to encourage customers.

I kinda remember that as well. Plus, there really weren't that many people living out that way anyway to support a toll road, and there's no "passing thru the area" traffic to add to the highway.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Mapmikey on October 01, 2020, 06:28:51 AM
See bottom of pdf pg. 25 here - https://pwfinance.net/document/research_reprints/15%20dulles%20greenway.pdf

Tolls were supposed to be $1.75 through 1995 then $2 through 1997.

Revenue was short after opening and tolls were reduced for a time which increased ridership but not the overall revenue.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Dirt Roads on October 01, 2020, 11:10:05 PM
Quote from: famartin on September 30, 2020, 03:40:45 PM
Known locally as "The Greenway,"  Virginia's first private toll road since 1816 opened to drivers on Sept. 29, 1995.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 30, 2020, 05:21:02 PM
Anyone happen to know what the original toll was for the Greenway back in 1995? I remember travelling on it sometime either that fall or, more likely, the following year, but I don't remember how much it was. I remember what the original Dulles Toll Road cost when it opened (50¢ at the main plaza in Tysons and 25¢ at the ramp tolls, except for Route 28 where it was 35¢), but I don't remember as to the Greenway. I didn't use it very often until after 2000 and by then I got a Smart Tag and have never paid much attention to the rates since then.
Quote from: sprjus4 on September 30, 2020, 05:39:17 PM
At the time, it cost $1 to ride the Greenway.
Quote from: Dirt Roads on September 30, 2020, 09:22:10 PMMy memory is getting vague, but I am sure that the tolls were much higher when the Greenway first opened.  When the Greenway opened, I lived just off Route 7 on the west slope of the Blue Ridge and had no traffic lights to get to the District, and then a handful of traffic lights to get to my office in Chantilly.  I remember that the original tolls were $3.85, and I could chop off a bit (perhaps 35 cents) by getting off at the Old Ox Road (SR-606) exit.  From there I could fight traffic on Sully Road (VA-28) or go around the backside of the airport to US-50.  I soon quit using the Greenway by using backroads to avoid the tolls.  There was so little traffic during the first month that the Greenway dropped the tolls in order to encourage customers.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on October 01, 2020, 12:00:50 AMI kinda remember that as well. Plus, there really weren't that many people living out that way anyway to support a toll road, and there's no "passing thru the area" traffic to add to the highway.

Even back then, there was plenty of traffic to Northern Virginia from Leesburg proper, Purcellville, Lovettsville, as well as Winchester and Jefferson County WV.  All routes from Leesburg to Dulles and Chantilly were packed, except for the Greenway.  Most folks driving that far were mostly financially strapped already, which is what led them to move so far out (as opposed to locals in the Eastern Panhandle driving further to get better pay).  I had a number of colleagues driving much further than I was.  What amazed me was the huge number of folks living in the South Potomac Valley that commuted to Northern Virginia and the District on the weekends to work construction jobs (often staying in groups of four in long-stay and nicer hotels).

Correction:  I didn't move out to Clarke County until early 1996.  Was living in Lovettsville when the Greenway opened.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: sbeaver44 on September 20, 2021, 07:36:43 PM
Is the VA 90004 designation completely dead?  As in, for purposes of clinching VA 267, I have been on the Greenway from US 15 to the Dulles Tollway; the Dulles Tollway to VA 286; the entire Dulles Access Rd, and the segment east of I-495 to I-66

Have I clinched VA 267 or am I missing between VA 286 and I-495?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on September 20, 2021, 08:29:52 PM
By definition, you are indeed missing 267 between Fairfax County Pkwy (286) and the Beltway.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: oscar on September 20, 2021, 10:09:57 PM
For purposes of the Travel Mapping project, the free Dulles Airport Access Road isn't treated as a clinchable route separate from (mostly) toll VA 267, just like it doesn't treat the express lanes in the I-495 median as a different route from the free I-495 lanes. That includes the DAAR segment in the VA 267 median between (more or less) VA 28 and VA 123. Could it be argued that sbeaver44 can count as clinched VA 267 between VA 286 and I-495, by traveling the DAAR between those points?

I'm not convinced, but sbeaver44 can give it a try. It makes no difference to me, anyway, since I've clinched VA 267 by paying all the tolls on multiple trips between US 15 and I-66, as well as multiple free trips on the DAAR.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: froggie on September 20, 2021, 10:27:48 PM
I double-checked VDOT records, Kozel's website, and what Mike and I have on VHP.  Officially, 267 does not follow the Access Road...just the DTR and the access road extension east of 123 to 66.

This is different from the Beltway HO/T lanes, in that those lanes are still considered part of I-495.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: sbeaver44 on September 21, 2021, 08:47:36 PM
Well I guess I know what I'm doing next time I'm down that way.  Thanks everyone for detailing it!
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Alps on September 21, 2021, 11:08:52 PM
I consider my DAAR clinch good for VA 267 because they are within the same right of way and all freeway, so always within sight of each other. Not like NJ 124 being NJ 24's frontage road and out of sight above.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Dirt Roads on September 22, 2021, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: Alps on September 21, 2021, 11:08:52 PM
I consider my DAAR clinch good for VA 267 because they are within the same right of way and all freeway, so always within sight of each other. Not like NJ 124 being NJ 24's frontage road and out of sight above.

The Dulles Airport Access Road includes the freeway into the airport terminal area, plus the upper deck (Departures) level and the lower deck (Arrivals) level.  A proper clinch of the DAAR requires one trip around the upper deck, exit left to the the "Return to Airport" loop around the Terminal Parking Lot, then the second trip around the lower deck.  Don't try to do this during the airport rush.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on September 22, 2021, 01:33:40 PM
Quote from: Dirt Roads on September 22, 2021, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: Alps on September 21, 2021, 11:08:52 PM
I consider my DAAR clinch good for VA 267 because they are within the same right of way and all freeway, so always within sight of each other. Not like NJ 124 being NJ 24's frontage road and out of sight above.

The Dulles Airport Access Road includes the freeway into the airport terminal area, plus the upper deck (Departures) level and the lower deck (Arrivals) level.  A proper clinch of the DAAR requires one trip around the upper deck, exit left to the the "Return to Airport" loop around the Terminal Parking Lot, then the second trip around the lower deck.  Don't try to do this during the airport rush.

Also, be careful of simply driving out to the airport, doing a loop, and then immediately heading back onto the highway. That's a good way to get a ticket. Stop at the gas station on airport property and buy a can of soda or a newspaper. That constitutes "airport business."
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: AlexandriaVA on September 22, 2021, 06:36:49 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 22, 2021, 01:33:40 PM
Quote from: Dirt Roads on September 22, 2021, 01:12:26 PM
Quote from: Alps on September 21, 2021, 11:08:52 PM
I consider my DAAR clinch good for VA 267 because they are within the same right of way and all freeway, so always within sight of each other. Not like NJ 124 being NJ 24's frontage road and out of sight above.

The Dulles Airport Access Road includes the freeway into the airport terminal area, plus the upper deck (Departures) level and the lower deck (Arrivals) level.  A proper clinch of the DAAR requires one trip around the upper deck, exit left to the the "Return to Airport" loop around the Terminal Parking Lot, then the second trip around the lower deck.  Don't try to do this during the airport rush.

Also, be careful of simply driving out to the airport, doing a loop, and then immediately heading back onto the highway. That's a good way to get a ticket. Stop at the gas station on airport property and buy a can of soda or a newspaper. That constitutes "airport business."

My go-to strategy if I need to get out to to the Westfield/Chantilly area in a hurry, particularly in the morning. Particularly now with the VA-28 construction.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 22, 2021, 08:19:32 PM
Quote from: Alps on September 21, 2021, 11:08:52 PM
I consider my DAAR clinch good for VA 267 because they are within the same right of way and all freeway, so always within sight of each other. Not like NJ 124 being NJ 24's frontage road and out of sight above.

They do have separate route numbers.  Dulles Toll Road (and Dulles Greenway, the private extension west to Leesburg) are VA-267.

Dulles Airport Access Road is "secret" VA-90004 (never seen it signed).
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: NJRoadfan on September 22, 2021, 08:42:14 PM
How do the cops determine who has/hasn't done "airport business"?
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 23, 2021, 01:07:22 AM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on September 22, 2021, 08:42:14 PM
How do the cops determine who has/hasn't done "airport business"?

If you drive across the airport property without dropping someone off or picking someone up or stopping to do some business there (as in stopping at the c-store or the gas station) then you are breaking the law and can get a summons.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: davewiecking on September 23, 2021, 01:33:59 AM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on September 22, 2021, 08:42:14 PM
How do the cops determine who has/hasn't done "airport business"?
Observation. It's a major International airport. It's crawling with LEOs.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: AlexandriaVA on September 23, 2021, 09:28:21 AM
Camera enforcement as well, IIRC
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 25, 2021, 11:01:38 AM
Quote from: davewiecking on September 23, 2021, 01:33:59 AM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on September 22, 2021, 08:42:14 PM
How do the cops determine who has/hasn't done "airport business"?
Observation. It's a major International airport. It's crawling with LEOs.

MWAA, the agency that runs IAD (and DCA) has its own airport police force that also patrols the Dulles Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road part of VA-267.

MWAA Police can (and do) issue Virginia summonses for the usual infractions - plus illegal use of airport property, including the DAAR.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: jeffandnicole on September 25, 2021, 11:05:09 AM
What's the likelihood of someone being caught? I'm 1 for 1 in avoidance, btw!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Dirt Roads on September 25, 2021, 11:48:11 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 25, 2021, 11:05:09 AM
What's the likelihood of someone being caught? I'm 1 for 1 in avoidance, btw!  :thumbsup:

It's been some time since I worked at Dulles Airport, but when our offices were not in the airport we often had several meetings or projects and sometimes had to go there several times a day.  Cars that enter and exit the frequently were watched carefully, as were vehicles that came in on the DAAR and never dropped off/picked up passengers or entered paid parking.  We were always on the target list, and were instructed to keep our "airport business" paperwork handy in the front seat to verify our status.  We had some employees that weren't working on MWAA projects who would try to piggyback on our airport project status and did get stopped.  Not sure if they ever got any tickets.

Our main office moved back "on campus" at the airport, which meant that all of us were cleared with parking passes.  After I moved to North Carolina, I had the additional issue of having out-of-state tags while working "on campus", inside the airport itself, and also at offices in National Airport and Tysons Corner.  It got dicey when I would need to go into the office for a few minutes, then back off campus.  Eventually, I got a high-level airport clearance and was treated like an airport employee afterwards (and also had to work closely with MWAA Police).

All that being said, I would think that the chances of getting caught using the DAAR improperly are pretty good.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: cpzilliacus on September 25, 2021, 02:19:37 PM
Quote from: Dirt Roads on September 25, 2021, 11:48:11 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 25, 2021, 11:05:09 AM
What's the likelihood of someone being caught? I'm 1 for 1 in avoidance, btw!  :thumbsup:

It's been some time since I worked at Dulles Airport, but when our offices were not in the airport we often had several meetings or projects and sometimes had to go there several times a day.  Cars that enter and exit the frequently were watched carefully, as were vehicles that came in on the DAAR and never dropped off/picked up passengers or entered paid parking.  We were always on the target list, and were instructed to keep our "airport business" paperwork handy in the front seat to verify our status.  We had some employees that weren't working on MWAA projects who would try to piggyback on our airport project status and did get stopped.  Not sure if they ever got any tickets.

Our main office moved back "on campus" at the airport, which meant that all of us were cleared with parking passes.  After I moved to North Carolina, I had the additional issue of having out-of-state tags while working "on campus", inside the airport itself, and also at offices in National Airport and Tysons Corner.  It got dicey when I would need to go into the office for a few minutes, then back off campus.  Eventually, I got a high-level airport clearance and was treated like an airport employee afterwards (and also had to work closely with MWAA Police).

All that being said, I would think that the chances of getting caught using the DAAR improperly are pretty good.

1. If you are cleared enough to have an airport badge, then I think you
will be left alone (I have had them for DCA, IAD and BWI - at the same
time - an idiot security guard at Dulles wanted to know why and I told
the guard because "I need them for my job").

2.  MWAA considers it part of the job of its police force to look for drivers
illegally using the Dulles Airport Access Road (especially "backtracking"
through the airport but also crossing the airport property from the
VA-606 back entrance to illegally enter the DAAR) and they have
gotten tougher about it since MWAA took over the Dulles Toll Road to
collect tolls to pay for the train line to Dulles, since using the DAAR is a
that. Signs at the entrances to the DAAR clearly state "Airport use only"
(or similar) and "other uses prohibited" at its entrances.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: Dirt Roads on September 25, 2021, 10:24:23 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 25, 2021, 02:19:37 PM
1. If you are cleared enough to have an airport badge, then I think you will be left alone (I
have had them for DCA, IAD and BWI - at the same time - an idiot security guard at
Dulles wanted to know why and I told the guard because "I need them for my job").

Your airport badge might help if you get pulled over by MWAA police, but I doubt that simply having one would get your vehicle flagged as "airport business".  Having the hang tags for vehicle clearance inside the perimeter definitely is an outward sign of airport business.   However, I do recall that around 1999 or 2000, airport employees and contractors were warned that having a badge does not give one privileges to use the DAAR for non-airport business. 

Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 25, 2021, 02:19:37 PM
2.  MWAA considers it part of the job of its police force to look for drivers illegally using the Dulles
Airport Access Road (especially "backtracking" through the airport but also crossing the airport
property from the VA-606 back entrance to illegally enter the DAAR) and they have gotten
tougher about it since MWAA took over the Dulles Toll Road to collect tolls to pay for the train
line to Dulles, since using the DAAR is a form of toll evasion, though I do not think they cite
DAAR violators for that. Signs at the entrances to the DAAR clearly state "Airport use only"
(or similar) and "other uses prohibited" at its entrances.

When I lived out in Clarke County, the "back entrance" from Old Ox Road (SR-606) using Ariane Way was my primary way in and out of the airport after we relocated our offices back onto the "airport campus".  Back then, all of the inbound traffic was routed onto Materials Road and over by the rental car agencies along Autopilot Drive.  An MWAA police cruiser was always staged at that three-way stop and I'm sure they were checking plates for folks trying to exit the airport.  There were a few times that I went to the office, got some things off my desk, and a few minutes later headed over to National for a departing flight (non-MWAA business).  Each time, I got the strangest look from MWAA Police when I exited onto the Dulles Toll Road to get to National.
Title: Re: Virginia
Post by: 1995hoo on November 17, 2022, 06:19:29 AM
Dulles Toll Road tolls increase in January (https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/11/rates-on-dulles-toll-road-to-increase-in-january/) to $6.00 if you pay at both the main toll plaza plus a ramp toll. This is, of course, mainly because of the Silver Line. Cash payment will also be eliminated sometime next year.

I am outraged. That road is not perfectly straight as an arrow. How dare they!
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: skluth on November 17, 2022, 03:51:39 PM
Dulles Toll Road is going cashless next year. Rates are also going up. Linked story here (https://dcist.com/story/22/11/16/dulles-toll-road-rates-going-up-75-cents-in-2023/). Bolded text is mine.

Quote
Dulles Toll Road Rates Going Up 75 Cents In 2023

Toll rates on the Dulles Toll Road between I-66 and roads near the Dulles International Airport will officially go up 75 cents in 2023.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority approved the increase unanimously at its Wednesday meeting.

The current maximum rate of $4.75 total for two-axle vehicles will increase to $6 total on January 1. The tolls are split between one charge at the main line plaza and another charge exiting at the ramps. Tolls are higher for larger trucks. A toll calculator is available online for shorter trips.

Drivers heading to or leaving Dulles International Airport do not pay a toll, but the toll road itself is a key commuting route through Loudoun and Fairfax County.

The fees are paying for more than half of the $5.8 billion Metro Silver Line project. The second phase of the project opened Tuesday. Tolls also go toward MWAA debt and operations, maintenance, and improvement of the toll road.

The board has planned the increases since 2019.

"This is not a surprise, as the board will recall this as part of the plan that we established,"  board member Kate Hanley said. "And it is something of a miracle... that even after the (economic) downturn, we did not have to alter that plan in order to do our part to pay for rail to Dulles."

Almost 100 people weighed in during the public comment period, with most saying the rate increase was unfair or had a negative impact on them. Others asked MWAA to find an alternative way to pay for the Silver Line project.

Toll rates are expected to go up every five years: $7.25 in 2028, $8.75 in 2033, and potentially as high as $11.25 in 2043.

The board also voted to authorize a $1.60 administrative fee for pay-by-plate transactions. Motorists who don't pay tolls electronically through an E-ZPass will be identified by their vehicle license plate and receive an invoice to their registered address. The toll road, like many in the region, is going fully cashless next year.

"Eliminating toll booths is expected to speed traffic flow and benefit the environment by reducing emissions that would have been produced by vehicles waiting in toll-booth lines,"  the Authority wrote in a statement.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I guess both 1995hoo and myself forgot about this thread. 
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: skluth on November 17, 2022, 05:32:25 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I guess both 1995hoo and myself forgot about this thread.

I didn't think to look in the general Virginia thread before posting and only later saw you had posted this info there, so we're even.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 06:09:51 PM
Quote from: skluth on November 17, 2022, 05:32:25 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I guess both 1995hoo and myself forgot about this thread.

I didn't think to look in the general Virginia thread before posting and only later saw you had posted this info there, so we're even.

Honestly it belongs here since this thread exists, but there is no reason for me to move it here now.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: plain on November 17, 2022, 06:24:48 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 06:09:51 PM
Quote from: skluth on November 17, 2022, 05:32:25 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I guess both 1995hoo and myself forgot about this thread.

I didn't think to look in the general Virginia thread before posting and only later saw you had posted this info there, so we're even.

Honestly it belongs here since this thread exists, but there is no reason for me to move it here now.

Works fine in the general thread as most of us are probably going to click on that one first anyway, giving more people a heads up.
Title: Re: Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Road
Post by: 1995hoo on November 18, 2022, 08:37:23 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on November 17, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I guess both 1995hoo and myself forgot about this thread. 

Looking at the time stamp on my post, I can confirm that I was half-awake and I was sitting on the toilet in my hotel room taking a dump, so I probably just plain forgot to search the forum.