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Started by Alex, February 04, 2009, 12:22:16 AM

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Alps

Quote from: NJRoadfan on December 01, 2012, 11:21:05 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 01, 2012, 09:39:41 PM
I realize that the extension of the HOV (Toll) lanes won't get as far as south as Stafford, but  I hope that if they were to be extended in the future, that the design takes that possibility into account.

Looks like it does in the rendering. The plan seems overkill though. I thought NJ had a monopoly on that style of interchange!
I don't think NJ has anything that looks like this.


cpzilliacus

Washington Post editorial: Running on fumes

QuoteTHE LAST TIME Virginia made a real effort to increase annual revenue for transportation, state lawmakers heeded the call of then-Gov. Gerald L. Baliles. "The cost is high, there's no question,"  said Mr. Baliles, a Democrat. "But be assured that the cost of failing to act will be far greater."

QuoteIn response, the General Assembly enacted a modest bump to the gasoline tax. That was 1986. Since then, the state has stood pat, watching passively as inflation and more fuel-efficient vehicles have shrunk the purchasing power of Virginia's per-gallon gas tax by more than half.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

I-81 in Virginia seems to have more than its "fair share" of "major" or "serious" wrecks and other incidents involving commercial vehicles. 

VDOT press release (hopefully out-dated by now): SOUTHBOUND LANES ON I-81 REMAIN CLOSED AT MILE MARKER 279
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

WTOP Radio: McDonnell: Virginia $500 million a year short on transportation funds

QuoteAnother year, another worry about the money needed to fix and construct roads in Virginia.

QuoteGov. Bob McDonnell says the state needs to find a way to raise at least $500 million each year between now and 2019 just to maintain current roads.

Quote"It's got to be at least sufficient to be able to deal with the maintenance deficit that we expect in 2018," says McDonnell.

QuoteAmong the proposals being kicked around the halls of the state capitol in Richmond are an inflation-based increase of the state's 17 cent gas tax, which hasn't been raised since 1986, a possible sales tax hike and more tolls.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

D.C. Examiner: Fairfax wants $1b from feds for transportation fixes

QuoteFairfax County wants more than $1 billion from the federal government to relieve traffic created by the Pentagon when it forced thousands of government employees to relocate to Fort Belvoir and the Mark Center without making necessary transportation improvements.

QuoteThe Pentagon shifted an additional 20,000 employees to the area as part of its base-closing effort, exacerbating already heavy congestion on local roads. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors now says at least 18 transportation projects are needed to decrease traffic flow and wants Uncle Sam to foot the bill.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

froggie

Quote$175 million for that???

That it was the "2nd least expensive" option (per the Free Lance-Star article) is disturbing.

Huge overkill, IMO.

BTW, per the project website, you can submit comments on the I-95/SR 630 interchange project through this upcoming Monday.

Mapmikey

While I cringe at nearly every price tag revealed for projects around Virginia, in defense of the Stafford Interchange project they are acquiring quite a bit of land which is not all that cheap anymore in this corridor.  Other aspects include also building a new road over to US 1; destroying and I would assume removing underground tanks, etc for multiple gas stations; the terrain around this interchange is also challenging...

I think the proposed interchange is more complicated than it needs to be.  630 does need to be multilaned and the off-ramp from 95 SB is way too short for the amount of traffic that now uses it.  Of course, the Stafford Airport interchange was way over-designed (though sensibly not fully built out yet) and SR 8900's junction with US 1 seems comically spacious...so maybe this is just how we roll around here...

Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...


Mapmikey

abc2VE

Quote from: Mapmikey on December 08, 2012, 10:29:39 PM

...Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...


Mapmikey

I remember that quite well the distance listed below the stop ahead signs was a very specific number, about 630ft

cpzilliacus

Quote from: Mapmikey on December 08, 2012, 10:29:39 PM
While I cringe at nearly every price tag revealed for projects around Virginia, in defense of the Stafford Interchange project they are acquiring quite a bit of land which is not all that cheap anymore in this corridor.  Other aspects include also building a new road over to US 1; destroying and I would assume removing underground tanks, etc for multiple gas stations; the terrain around this interchange is also challenging...

I think the proposed interchange is more complicated than it needs to be.  630 does need to be multilaned and the off-ramp from 95 SB is way too short for the amount of traffic that now uses it.  Of course, the Stafford Airport interchange was way over-designed (though sensibly not fully built out yet) and SR 8900's junction with US 1 seems comically spacious...so maybe this is just how we roll around here...

Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...

I would assume that they are designing the interchange to accommodate future growth in Stafford County. 
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

D.C. Examiner: Some Va. license plates allow drivers to skip tolls

QuoteSome Virginia drivers are getting free rides on the state's toll roads, and it's costing the state as much as $100,000 a year.

QuoteThe problem, state officials said, is that some Virginia license plates can't be read by cameras at the state's toll booths.

QuoteAbout 2 percent of the 1.5 million license plates reviewed by the state in a recent study had a design or color combination that made it nearly impossible for toll booth cameras along the Dulles Toll Road and elsewhere to read the tags. That means a driver without an E-ZPass can sail through an automated toll collection lane without paying -- and never get a bill or fine in the mail.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 09, 2012, 08:35:34 PM
Quote from: Mapmikey on December 08, 2012, 10:29:39 PM
While I cringe at nearly every price tag revealed for projects around Virginia, in defense of the Stafford Interchange project they are acquiring quite a bit of land which is not all that cheap anymore in this corridor.  Other aspects include also building a new road over to US 1; destroying and I would assume removing underground tanks, etc for multiple gas stations; the terrain around this interchange is also challenging...

I think the proposed interchange is more complicated than it needs to be.  630 does need to be multilaned and the off-ramp from 95 SB is way too short for the amount of traffic that now uses it.  Of course, the Stafford Airport interchange was way over-designed (though sensibly not fully built out yet) and SR 8900's junction with US 1 seems comically spacious...so maybe this is just how we roll around here...

Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...

I would assume that they are designing the interchange to accommodate future growth in Stafford County. 

Which is likely, given the current pace of growth in the county. The current interchange is a major bottleneck and is quite dangerous, and even after the signals were installed there's major backups. I've seen traffic backed up the onramp onto I-95. This design is probably still overkill, though, but SR 610 (the next exit north on I-95) has an even higher AADT than SR 630, and it's served by a simple cloverleaf without any significant backup issues.
Will Weaver
WillWeaverRVA Photography | Twitter

"But how will the oxen know where to drown if we renumber the Oregon Trail?" - NE2

cpzilliacus

Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

Quote
D.C. Examiner: Some Va. license plates allow drivers to skip tolls

More on this from WTOP Radio: Study: Va. loses toll money from unreadable license plates

QuoteSome drivers are enjoying a free ride through automatic tolls in Virginia, but budget-conscious lawmakers in Richmond may be eager to close the gap.

QuoteA 76-page study on license plates, prepared by the Department of Motor Vehicles, was provided to legislators Monday.

Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on December 10, 2012, 11:23:20 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 09, 2012, 08:35:34 PM
Quote from: Mapmikey on December 08, 2012, 10:29:39 PM
While I cringe at nearly every price tag revealed for projects around Virginia, in defense of the Stafford Interchange project they are acquiring quite a bit of land which is not all that cheap anymore in this corridor.  Other aspects include also building a new road over to US 1; destroying and I would assume removing underground tanks, etc for multiple gas stations; the terrain around this interchange is also challenging...

I think the proposed interchange is more complicated than it needs to be.  630 does need to be multilaned and the off-ramp from 95 SB is way too short for the amount of traffic that now uses it.  Of course, the Stafford Airport interchange was way over-designed (though sensibly not fully built out yet) and SR 8900's junction with US 1 seems comically spacious...so maybe this is just how we roll around here...

Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...

I would assume that they are designing the interchange to accommodate future growth in Stafford County. 

Which is likely, given the current pace of growth in the county. The current interchange is a major bottleneck and is quite dangerous, and even after the signals were installed there's major backups. I've seen traffic backed up the onramp onto I-95. This design is probably still overkill, though, but SR 610 (the next exit north on I-95) has an even higher AADT than SR 630, and it's served by a simple cloverleaf without any significant backup issues.

Similar situation can be found on I-66 westbound at Exit 40 (U.S. 15, Haymarket) in the afternoon peak commute period.  Traffic (especially traffic wanting to turn left (south) onto U.S. 15) queues up onto the shoulder of I-66.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

#614
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 12, 2012, 09:55:18 AM
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on December 10, 2012, 11:23:20 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 09, 2012, 08:35:34 PM
Quote from: Mapmikey on December 08, 2012, 10:29:39 PM
While I cringe at nearly every price tag revealed for projects around Virginia, in defense of the Stafford Interchange project they are acquiring quite a bit of land which is not all that cheap anymore in this corridor.  Other aspects include also building a new road over to US 1; destroying and I would assume removing underground tanks, etc for multiple gas stations; the terrain around this interchange is also challenging...

I think the proposed interchange is more complicated than it needs to be.  630 does need to be multilaned and the off-ramp from 95 SB is way too short for the amount of traffic that now uses it.  Of course, the Stafford Airport interchange was way over-designed (though sensibly not fully built out yet) and SR 8900's junction with US 1 seems comically spacious...so maybe this is just how we roll around here...

Of course less than 10 years ago I believe there weren't even any stoplights at this interchange...

I would assume that they are designing the interchange to accommodate future growth in Stafford County. 

Which is likely, given the current pace of growth in the county. The current interchange is a major bottleneck and is quite dangerous, and even after the signals were installed there's major backups. I've seen traffic backed up the onramp onto I-95. This design is probably still overkill, though, but SR 610 (the next exit north on I-95) has an even higher AADT than SR 630, and it's served by a simple cloverleaf without any significant backup issues.

Similar situation can be found on I-66 westbound at Exit 40 (U.S. 15, Haymarket) in the afternoon peak commute period.  Traffic (especially traffic wanting to turn left (south) onto U.S. 15) queues up onto the shoulder of I-66.

I'll be interested in seeing whether that improves at all when the Gainesville construction is finished in a few years. A lot of people have long used the Haymarket exit to bypass congestion and (more importantly, depending on the time of day) the railroad crossing in Gainesville. When the grade-separation there is finished I wonder if it might lure some people back to US-29 instead of using the Haymarket work-around. Of course, there are also long-term plans to widen I-66 out to Haymarket as well, but that wouldn't help much with the backups on the ramp.

I know there have been times when I've been heading for southbound 29 when I found the Haymarket ramp so backed up I went on to the next exit at Great Meadow, followed the road south to its end at US-17, and turned left to follow that down to Warrenton.

Passed Gainesville on I-66 last Saturday but couldn't tell how the project is progressing. There's certainly a massive mound of dirt in the middle of US-29, which I assume is intended to form the approaches for the overpass above the railroad tracks. The project rendering I saw showed US-29 passing over the tracks and then diving down to go under Linton Hall Road. Edited to add: Found a somewhat grainy rendering. It reminds me quite a bit of the Yorktowne Center intersection of Gallows Road and US-50, which was transformed into an interchange in the early- to mid-1980s. In particular the ramp configuration for southbound US-29 reminds me of that. We lived near Fairfax Hospital when the Gallows/50 construction began, so I remember it quite well.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

oscar

Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 12, 2012, 09:52:49 AM
Quote
D.C. Examiner: Some Va. license plates allow drivers to skip tolls

More on this from WTOP Radio: Study: Va. loses toll money from unreadable license plates

QuoteSome drivers are enjoying a free ride through automatic tolls in Virginia, but budget-conscious lawmakers in Richmond may be eager to close the gap.

QuoteA 76-page study on license plates, prepared by the Department of Motor Vehicles, was provided to legislators Monday.

The Examiner article includes a sample of Virginia's fall colors plate as one of the harder-to-read ones.  It was nearly impossible to read when first issued, with the leaves in the background behind the letters and numbers, rather than just on the edges as they are now.

I recall that Virginia DMV in that instance recalled the plates and re-did them in the new design, rather than gradually reduce their numbers through attrition as is now being discussed for some current plate designs.  I'm not sure how hard DMV pushed back against drivers who realized how lucky they were and balked at turning in their unreadable plates.  Virginia at that time was still a long way from photo enforcement or "pay-by-plate" tolling, but other states and provinces had started using one or the other. 
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

cpzilliacus

WTOP Radio: Shoreline erosion is threatening Va scenic roadway

QuoteThe National Park Service is moving ahead with plans to address shoreline erosion along the York River.

QuoteA report outlining plans for a project to repair and stabilize a 4.2-mile stretch of the river describes the erosion as an imminent threat to the scenic Colonial Parkway.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on December 12, 2012, 10:13:55 AM
I'll be interested in seeing whether that improves at all when the Gainesville construction is finished in a few years. A lot of people have long used the Haymarket exit to bypass congestion and (more importantly, depending on the time of day) the railroad crossing in Gainesville. When the grade-separation there is finished I wonder if it might lure some people back to US-29 instead of using the Haymarket work-around. Of course, there are also long-term plans to widen I-66 out to Haymarket as well, but that wouldn't help much with the backups on the ramp.

Strangely, I have not been on that section of U.S. 29 (south of I-66) for a long time - I am going to need to take a look-see at that.

I do know it has been ugly for decades.  In the "I'm old enough" department, I can remember when I-66 had its interim western terminus at U.S. 29 south (only - no access to U.S. 29 northbound, which  was effectively a "U" turn anyway), and Gainesville was perhaps even more of a mess (traffic headed west to Front Royal, Strasburg and I-81 had to take Va. 55 most of the rest of the way (there was that long "orphaned" section of I-66 around Marshall (roughly Exits 23 to 28 today)). 

I spent a week in Gainesville as a high school junior (1975) at Camp Glenkirk (now gone) as a camp counselor on the shores of Lake Manassas in Prince William County (Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools rented it for its 6th grade outdoor education program), and remember the school bus getting stuck in traffic when we left on Friday.

I nearly always go out to U.S. 15 at Haymarket to avoid Gainesville, but you do run the risk of getting stuck at the NS grade crossing just south of the Sheetz on 15 if a long freight train comes through (that track from Manassas to Front Royal is remarkably busy for being a winding single-track affair).   

Do you remember that Haymarket was where Disney wanted to build its America theme park, but was thwarted by opposition from the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Sierra Club in 1995 (Disney gave up rather than fight)? I suppose the PEC was afraid too many members of the hoi polloi would show up too close to their estates.

Quote from: 1995hoo on December 12, 2012, 10:13:55 AM
I know there have been times when I've been heading for southbound 29 when I found the Haymarket ramp so backed up I went on to the next exit at Great Meadow, followed the road south to its end at US-17, and turned left to follow that down to Warrenton.

I have done that as well.  U.S. 17 moves fast between Warrenton and I-66, though I have seen both the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office and VSP doing speed limit enforcement there (presumably for that reason).

Quote from: 1995hoo on December 12, 2012, 10:13:55 AM
Passed Gainesville on I-66 last Saturday but couldn't tell how the project is progressing. There's certainly a massive mound of dirt in the middle of US-29, which I assume is intended to form the approaches for the overpass above the railroad tracks. The project rendering I saw showed US-29 passing over the tracks and then diving down to go under Linton Hall Road. Edited to add: Found a somewhat grainy rendering. It reminds me quite a bit of the Yorktowne Center intersection of Gallows Road and US-50, which was transformed into an interchange in the early- to mid-1980s. In particular the ramp configuration for southbound US-29 reminds me of that. We lived near Fairfax Hospital when the Gallows/50 construction began, so I remember it quite well.

It is revealing to me that the Gainesville project got funded in spite of VDOT's massive financial problems.  Thank you for sharing those images.  They are consistent with what I recall the reconstructed U.S. 29 looking like. 

If VDOT had unlimited amounts of money, it would upgrade all of U.S. 29, all the way from Danville to Gainesville, to a controlled-access Interstate-standard freeway. 

Of course, the membership of the PEC would collectively have a hemorrhage, even though it would really improve what is a dangerous and substandard segment of highway, especially between Warrenton and Gainesville.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

I plan to go through Gainesville on Friday, traffic permitting, and if I can get any pictures of the progress I will post them, though not likely on Friday–we are going to try to go from DC to Charlotte via US-29/I-85 Friday afternoon, then on to Florida via I-77/I-26/I-95 on Saturday. I just want to take a route other than I-95 and I haven't been down US-29 beyond Charlottesville since July 1998 on my way home from the bar exam in Roanoke.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on December 16, 2012, 12:46:00 PM
I plan to go through Gainesville on Friday, traffic permitting, and if I can get any pictures of the progress I will post them, though not likely on Friday–we are going to try to go from DC to Charlotte via US-29/I-85 Friday afternoon, then on to Florida via I-77/I-26/I-95 on Saturday. I just want to take a route other than I-95 and I haven't been down US-29 beyond Charlottesville since July 1998 on my way home from the bar exam in Roanoke.

It has been a while since I was down that way - but - U.S. 29 south of Charlottesville and I-64 is a very different road from what it is between Charlottesville and Gainesville.  Except through Lynchburg, U.S. 29 has VDOT-published AADT (2011) at or under 20,000 all the way  from Danville to I-64.   North of I-64, it is generally above 20,000 (for reasons unclear to me, it dips below 20,000 in parts of Greene and Madison Counties), and north of Opal, above 40,000 AADT (in my opinion, that's a lot for a rural four-lane arterial highway), and approaching Gainesville, 60,000 (!).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 16, 2012, 01:43:04 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 16, 2012, 12:46:00 PM
I plan to go through Gainesville on Friday, traffic permitting, and if I can get any pictures of the progress I will post them, though not likely on Friday–we are going to try to go from DC to Charlotte via US-29/I-85 Friday afternoon, then on to Florida via I-77/I-26/I-95 on Saturday. I just want to take a route other than I-95 and I haven't been down US-29 beyond Charlottesville since July 1998 on my way home from the bar exam in Roanoke.

It has been a while since I was down that way - but - U.S. 29 south of Charlottesville and I-64 is a very different road from what it is between Charlottesville and Gainesville.  Except through Lynchburg, U.S. 29 has VDOT-published AADT (2011) at or under 20,000 all the way  from Danville to I-64.   North of I-64, it is generally above 20,000 (for reasons unclear to me, it dips below 20,000 in parts of Greene and Madison Counties), and north of Opal, above 40,000 AADT (in my opinion, that's a lot for a rural four-lane arterial highway), and approaching Gainesville, 60,000 (!).

Oh yes, I remember the portion between Charlottesville and US-501 near Lynchburg pretty well because in the mid-1990s I drove that way quite often–after I graduated from UVA I headed to law school at Duke and I often took 501 -> 29 on my way up to Charlottesville for visits. One time I went across to hit 29 in North Carolina so that I could clinch (though I had never heard of that term at the time) the entire Virginia portion. Of course, one major change since then is the new bypasses around Danville and (especially) Lynchburg/Madison Heights, the latter with a 70-mph speed limit (the only non-Interstate in Virginia with a 70-mph limit at present).

The light traffic counts are really one major reason for going that way. I-95 through the Carolinas can get frustrating with the left-lane hogs, and while I-85 is an option, I nixed that because (a) the worst stretch of I-95 is the one going down to Richmond and the traffic on the Friday before Christmas might be heavy and (b) I drove I-85 so often over the years I'm bored with that too.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

cpzilliacus

AP via WTOP Radio: Southside Va not yielding for gov's I-95 toll idea

QuoteSTONY CREEK, Va. - Would you pay $11 for a $3 hamburger?

QuoteFrank Jackson, the mayor of Stony Creek and its nearly 200 people, didn't think so.

QuoteBut if Gov. Bob McDonnell succeeds in imposing tolls on Interstate 95 near the North Carolina border and the highway's entry and exit ramps, that could happen, Jackson argues.

Quote"And it's just going to kill businesses like the Tastee Hut," he said.

QuoteThe Tastee Hut is unpretentious, throwback fast food _ a squat, white hut off an I-95 frontage road just north of Exit 31, midway between Richmond and the Carolina line. No dining room; customers either buy carry-out or use the picnic tables off to one side. Park in the gravel lot, walk to the window, order a cheeseburger or pulled-pork barbecue sandwich, add a Dr. Pepper, maybe an order of fries and you're set for another 250 miles.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

Mapmikey

Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 17, 2012, 11:22:23 AM
AP via WTOP Radio: Southside Va not yielding for gov's I-95 toll idea

QuoteSTONY CREEK, Va. - Would you pay $11 for a $3 hamburger?



Both the logic and the facts are incorrect at the Tastee Hut.

First off, according to http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/95/Toll/CIM_-_Presentation_20121210.pdf.  There would only be a ramp toll getting off OR getting on but not both unless it is at different exits, one on each side of the toll booth (which would then eliminate $4 by avoiding the main booth).

So it is "$9" for the burger, not $11.  But of course, the cost of NO burger is $4, so the cost of the burger is actually $5.  Plus they could inform customers they could avoid the ramp toll to get back onto 95 NB by going up the frontage road to Exit 33.

This is not an attempt to advocate for or against the tolling plan.  Just that whatever discussion there is should be fact-based.

Also one would think (though I have no idea if it is in the plan), that the ramp toll could be waived if you have been through the main toll plaza in say the last half hour.  Or the main plaza would charge only $2 if you used a ramp toll within the last half-hour.  None of this would help cash-paying toll users though.


cpzilliacus

TOLLROADSnews: North-South Corridor through Manassas a potential new 45 mile tollroad in northern Virginia

QuoteVirginia planners have added a new 'North-South Corridor" to their master planning for northern Virginia. An area of strong economic growth and lacking any quality north-south highway within many miles on either side it looks like a natural for toll financing. The route extends some 45 miles, 72km from I-95 near Dumfries to I-66 near Manassas then skirting west of Washington Dulles International Airport it would cross the Dulles Greenway ending just beyond VA7 Leesburg Pike in Ashburn.

QuoteThe NS corridor runs about 30 miles, 50km distant from the Mall at the center of Washington DC, and it is about 20 miles, 32km west of the line of the Capital Beltway I-495. It is part of longterm VDOT plan called VTrans 2035.

QuoteUS15 runs about 4 miles, 7km to its west at the closest point.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

#624
Quote from: Mapmikey on December 17, 2012, 01:13:18 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on December 17, 2012, 11:22:23 AM
AP via WTOP Radio: Southside Va not yielding for gov's I-95 toll idea

QuoteSTONY CREEK, Va. - Would you pay $11 for a $3 hamburger?



Both the logic and the facts are incorrect at the Tastee Hut.

First off, according to http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/95/Toll/CIM_-_Presentation_20121210.pdf.  There would only be a ramp toll getting off OR getting on but not both unless it is at different exits, one on each side of the toll booth (which would then eliminate $4 by avoiding the main booth).

Thank you for your FAct-based comment!  I read a VDOT presentation several months ago about I-95 tolling, but nothing as recent as what you have posted above.

Have you considered contacting the AP reporter credited by WTOP with writing this?

Quote from: Mapmikey on December 17, 2012, 01:13:18 PM
So it is "$9" for the burger, not $11.  But of course, the cost of NO burger is $4, so the cost of the burger is actually $5.  Plus they could inform customers they could avoid the ramp toll to get back onto 95 NB by going up the frontage road to Exit 33.

This is not an attempt to advocate for or against the tolling plan.  Just that whatever discussion there is should be fact-based.

Absolutely correct.

Quote from: Mapmikey on December 17, 2012, 01:13:18 PM
Also one would think (though I have no idea if it is in the plan), that the ramp toll could be waived if you have been through the main toll plaza in say the last half hour.  Or the main plaza would charge only $2 if you used a ramp toll within the last half-hour.  None of this would help cash-paying toll users though.

I have no problem with tolls per-se, especially on new highway capacity, like the I-495 HOV/Toll lanes or Maryland's ICC and the new I-95 ETLs. 

But I really dislike this plan - and not because I am a relatively frequent user of I-95 in Virginia, but  because there is still going to be shunpiking here.  If we could turn back the clock, I would much rather have had the tolls retained on the  Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, with the toll barriers upgraded to allow for open-road E-ZPass tolling, and, in a perfect world, a toll barrier on I-295, probably on the north side of the Varina-Enon Bridge.

This plan reminds me of the tolling that Maryland has on the JFK Highway. The one-way tolls collected at that one point are supposed to support maintenance and improvements over a very long segment of road.  At least Maryland has the Susquehanna River, and the adjacent (tolled) U.S. 40 Hatem Bridge, which is something of a deterrent to shunpiking by northbound trucks.

I would much rather see toll collection over a much longer section of I-95 (probably including toll collection between Richmond and Fredericksburg).

Consider that the last plan I saw for tolls on I-95 in North Carolina envisioned tolls along its entire length, from Rowlands (near South of the Border) all the way to Gaston.
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