Northern Virginia HOT Lanes

[1995hoo]

^^ Your photo is showing up as a grey "Do Not Enter" symbol.

Renders fine where I am.  Strange.

It's weird, it displayed fine for me last night when I viewed it on my iPad, but this morning on a PC it's displaying as froggie describes. It was a photo looking north from the 34 Street/South Abingdon Street overpass above I-395 just north of the King Street interchange and it showed fresh paving.

I was on there southbound from DC earlier this afternoon and I found they've narrowed it from VA-27 to the Shirlington exit–jersey walls on each side (no shoulders) and lanes shifted. The usual annoyance of the old lane markings still being visible in the afternoon sun glare was a factor.

I have to wonder if someone got the idea for that from PennDOT and their miserable "cattle chute" work zones. Shirlington Circle to VA-27 is not that far (and fortunately it's a fairly straight section of road), but if there's a crash or a disabled vehicle, then the results get ugly in a hurry. 

I have no idea. I'm sure the barriers are probably related to a combination of doing something with the barriers between the general-purpose lanes and the reversible carriageway and the need to reinforce what are now the reversible lanes' shoulders in order to restripe the road to have three lanes within the existing footprint, similar to what was done south of Turkeycock. AlexandriaVA speculated that they might have the shoulder switch sides depending on which way the lanes are pointed. I kind of doubt that will happen simply because it's not how they're doing it south of Turkeycock–I don't see much reason to think they'd operate differently on the new part (and as a practical matter I kind of wonder how they'd stripe it if they did that).

BTW, interesting side note: We were just in St. Louis two weeks ago and, as you may know, they have two express lanes on I-70 that are in theory similar to I-395's express lanes in that they're designed to be a reversible carriageway (with no exits) designed to provide thru traffic to and from downtown with a bypass of the slower general-purpose lanes. In practice they differ from I-395 because they no longer reverse the direction; instead, they always run towards downtown. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed on I-395 that both edge markings are white, presumably because the yellow line is supposed to denote the left shoulder and in a reversible lane the left side will vary depending on which way the lanes are pointing. On I-70 in St. Louis, both edge markings are yellow. I noticed it immediately. Not really a big deal, of course, just something I found interesting (I do recall from driver's ed way back when the instructor saying, "If the yellow line is ever to your right, you're on the wrong side of the road").

[AlexandriaVA]

I was on there southbound from DC earlier this afternoon and I found they've narrowed it from VA-27 to the Shirlington exit–jersey walls on each side (no shoulders) and lanes shifted. The usual annoyance of the old lane markings still being visible in the afternoon sun glare was a factor.

I have to wonder if someone got the idea for that from PennDOT and their miserable "cattle chute" work zones. Shirlington Circle to VA-27 is not that far (and fortunately it's a fairly straight section of road), but if there's a crash or a disabled vehicle, then the results get ugly in a hurry.

Closed carriageway...what else do you want them to do? 66 during rush hour doesn't have a shoulder. Sometimes just gotta work with the hand you're dealt.

[cpzilliacus]

Closed carriageway...what else do you want them to do? 66 during rush hour doesn't have a shoulder. Sometimes just gotta work with the hand you're dealt.

Do the work on one side at a time.  I have no issue with Transurban's effort to add a third lane, and I realize that one side at a time will take longer, but cattle chute work zones should be a last resort, not used on nearly every project (like PennDOT and PTC do). 

Last ones I have recently experienced in Penn's Woods were on I-81 around Ravine (roughly Exit 104 to Exit 100) - really terrible one-lane-each way because of steep grades and high percentage of truck traffic; and a very long cattle chute on I-476 (N.E. Extension Pennsylvania Turnpike) between Exits 31 (PA-63, Lansdale) and 44 (PA-664, Quakertown).

[1995hoo]

I was on there southbound from DC earlier this afternoon and I found they've narrowed it from VA-27 to the Shirlington exit–jersey walls on each side (no shoulders) and lanes shifted. The usual annoyance of the old lane markings still being visible in the afternoon sun glare was a factor.

I have to wonder if someone got the idea for that from PennDOT and their miserable "cattle chute" work zones. Shirlington Circle to VA-27 is not that far (and fortunately it's a fairly straight section of road), but if there's a crash or a disabled vehicle, then the results get ugly in a hurry.

Closed carriageway...what else do you want them to do? 66 during rush hour doesn't have a shoulder. Sometimes just gotta work with the hand you're dealt.

Nowadays it seems more often than not I-66 doesn't have a shoulder outside rush hour either between the Beltway and Fair Oaks. The green arrows seem to be on more often than not, including on weekends.

[Mapmikey]

The new northbound and southbound ramps will open to traffic ahead of schedule on Oct. 31, Virginia transportation officials said. The $50 million project adds entrance and exit ramps south of Exit 143 at Garrisonville Road. About 146,000 vehicles travel on I-95 near Garrisonville Road each day.

Excellent!  Last time I was by there a few weeks ago it looked almost ready to open.

So with a sample size of 1, here is what the extension opening was like:

yesterday afternoon, both the toll lanes and the mainline were 65 mph+ through the entirety of the Garrisonville area.  No issues merging back onto mainline 95 from the left.
And the toll was only $4.90 at 6 pm for the last segment from Dale City to the end.  It has rarely been below $8 during the afternoon rush.

this morning, there was no backup approaching Garrisonville (typical 2-3 mile crawl at 5 a.m. before).  It appeared that the mainline through Exit 143 was free flowing though maybe not at 65 mph.

Oddly, most of the extension is only paved as 1 lane plus shoulder, so when they construct the extension to Fredericksburg relatively soon, they will have to go back and add a lane of pavement to today's extension.  Not sure why they did that, knowing that the Fredericksburg extension was quite likely.

[jeffandnicole]

Since the 'average speed' had to be at 45 mph or greater, the jam at the end was probably often the reason why the price increased.  If you traveled 65 mph thru the entire corridor but got jammed up at the very end for a few minutes, that reduced the average speed to 45 or below. 

Hopefully, the new lane and merge area will keep prices down, which will also allow more people to pay a more reasonable toll, making the drive easier on both the tolled and free lanes.

[Mapmikey]

Since the 'average speed' had to be at 45 mph or greater, the jam at the end was probably often the reason why the price increased.  If you traveled 65 mph thru the entire corridor but got jammed up at the very end for a few minutes, that reduced the average speed to 45 or below. 

Whatever algorithm they use cannot be discerned visually on that segment.  I have seen it wide open at $18 and a 4-mile backup at the end with it at $18.

The beltway lanes are more consistent with this IMO.  It is wide open at anything under $15, moving but crowded up to about $20 and anything over that means traffic is coming to a crawl somewhere in the toll lanes (usually from I-66 overpass to Gallows Rd exit)

[cpzilliacus]

The beltway lanes are more consistent with this IMO.  It is wide open at anything under $15, moving but crowded up to about $20 and anything over that means traffic is coming to a crawl somewhere in the toll lanes (usually from I-66 overpass to Gallows Rd exit)

That's interesting. I assumed that the maximum load point on the Outer Loop side (southbound) would be between the ramps from VA-7 and I-66, not south of I-66.   

[Mapmikey]

The beltway lanes are more consistent with this IMO.  It is wide open at anything under $15, moving but crowded up to about $20 and anything over that means traffic is coming to a crawl somewhere in the toll lanes (usually from I-66 overpass to Gallows Rd exit)

That's interesting. I assumed that the maximum load point on the Outer Loop side (southbound) would be between the ramps from VA-7 and I-66, not south of I-66.   

That area is sometimes a little slower too but the ramp to Gallows Rd backs up to nearly into the toll lanes, so traffic is slower.  This is also the area where troopers hang out and slow downs result from their presence and/or activity.

[AlexandriaVA]

Stopped by the Abingdon St. bridge over 395 this afternoon. Not sure what to make of the markings yet.

[1995hoo]

I have the day off and I drove Ms1995hoo to work via the I-395 HOV lanes since the Metro is on a reduced schedule. The work zone now extends all the way down to Turkeycock, although the "cattle chute"  doesn't (yet, anyway). There are orange barrels all the way down and it appears likely they'll probably put up more jersey barriers. Main annoyance in my view is the uneven pavement and the ruts left by old lane markings.

[AlexandriaVA]

Not sure if this has been posted.

https://www.395expresslanes.com/pdfs/brochure.pdf

I guess it resolves the one question concerning lane configuration.

Full shoulder will offer space for disabled vehicles with similar configuration as 95 Express Lanes

I guess three lanes, with a shoulder on the east side of the HOT carriageway.

[AlexandriaVA]

Also, wonder if they'll do something to "link" the I-66 HOT lanes and I-395 HOT lanes via VA-110.

[1995hoo]

The brochure also confirms what I had suspected–they're replacing the long-time metal barriers between carriageways with concrete.

I find the Eads Street thing to be interesting. Right now, the portions of the "HOV lanes" between the north end of the reversible carriageway and the lanes' end in DC (north of roughly this point across the river into DC) are open 24/7. If you're leaving DC, you can go over the "HOV bridge" and exit back into the general-purpose lanes even if the reversible lanes are pointed northbound. A fair number of people do precisely that to avoid the general-purpose lanes as they pass the exits for Crystal City and Route 110 because there's so much weaving, lane-changing, and slow traffic through there (certainly it's not a great area to drive if you're not familiar with the road, and the large numbers of signs do not help unfamiliar motorists).

My reading of the brochure indicates there will be some kind of change to the operations in that area because it says both Eads Street ramps (this is the exit that is currently marked simply as "Pentagon," to the left of the camera location in this Street View image) are to be made reversible. That means the current outbound/southbound "HOV carriageway" will have to become reversible as far north as the Eads Street interchange, unless the reconfiguration is somehow intended to provide two ramps from the existing inbound/northbound carriageway (which I doubt). I note the map in the brochure doesn't show the existing right-side slip ramp back to the general-purpose lanes located just to the south/west of the Eads Street interchange, so I wonder whether they plan to remove it.

BTW, I put "HOV lanes" and "HOV carriageway" in quotation marks because they don't actually carry an HOV restriction in that particular location as currently operated, although from a practical standpoint the northbound Eads Street off-ramp is HOV-restricted in the mornings because you can't get to it except via the HOV lanes. But if you're going outbound through there, you can go as far as the slip ramp just before the reversible lanes even if you're not an HOV as long as you then exit back to the general-purpose lanes.

[AlexandriaVA]

It's almost as if they're setting things up for a HOT extension across the 14th St. Bridge.... 

[1995hoo]

It's almost as if they're setting things up for a HOT extension across the 14th St. Bridge.... 

Recall a few years ago DC officials had talked about the notion of having HO/T lanes running up I-295 and then across the Southeast—Southwest Freeway.....

[Jmiles32]

It's almost as if they're setting things up for a HOT extension across the 14th St. Bridge.... 

Recall a few years ago DC officials had talked about the notion of having HO/T lanes running up I-295 and then across the Southeast—Southwest Freeway.....

Correct, the article was published back in 2014
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/plans-for-hot-lanes-on-14th-street-bridge-and-dc-freeways-still-just-warming-up/2014/04/19/d221f304-c4d3-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.html?utm_term=.74f7ab9cdbb1

The proposal for I-295 involves building two new reversible lanes in the middle of the interstate. The study suggests that the District government could develop this portion, like the Southeast-Southwest Freeway portion, through a public-private partnership.

Not exactly sure if the study calls for reversible HOT lanes on the section of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway between where they currently end(right after the US-1 exit) and the I-295/D.C-295 interchange. No idea how any more lanes(reversible or not) would fit in that section, but after hearing Maryland's ambitious plans for adding four HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway, especially on the tight section between I-270 and I-95, I guess anything is possible.

[1995hoo]

Saturday night we drove to DC for a Caps game and took the I-395 HOV on the way in. The "cattle chute" now runs pretty much the entire way from Turkeycock to the VA-27 ramp, with the exception of going down the hill from Landmark towards Seminary Road–at that point, there is not (yet) a concrete barrier on the side adjacent to the southbound general-purpose lanes.

I was quite surprised the speed limit is still 65 in there. VDOT usually reduces it in work zones. I was doing 70 and the missus felt it was too fast given the narrow configuration.

[Mapmikey]

I was quite surprised the speed limit is still 65 in there. VDOT usually reduces it in work zones. I was doing 70 and the missus felt it was too fast given the narrow configuration.

VDOT has not lowered the speed limit for ANY of the projects associated with I-95 or the Beltway on the west side in the 19 years I've been commuting these, to my recollection.

[1995hoo]

I was quite surprised the speed limit is still 65 in there. VDOT usually reduces it in work zones. I was doing 70 and the missus felt it was too fast given the narrow configuration.

VDOT has not lowered the speed limit for ANY of the projects associated with I-95 or the Beltway on the west side in the 19 years I've been commuting these, to my recollection.

I should have worded that differently. Not sure what I was thinking when I typed that because it's utterly inaccurate and too sweeping a statement the way I worded it. I seem to recall having seen a number of instances where they've lowered 65-mph limits to 55 during construction when there's no shoulder available. In this case, it might not be a bad idea because in addition to it feeling pretty narrow, there's also the issue of the ruts (for lack of a better term) left by the old striping.

[Mapmikey]

I was quite surprised the speed limit is still 65 in there. VDOT usually reduces it in work zones. I was doing 70 and the missus felt it was too fast given the narrow configuration.

VDOT has not lowered the speed limit for ANY of the projects associated with I-95 or the Beltway on the west side in the 19 years I've been commuting these, to my recollection.

I should have worded that differently. Not sure what I was thinking when I typed that because it's utterly inaccurate and too sweeping a statement the way I worded it. I seem to recall having seen a number of instances where they've lowered 65-mph limits to 55 during construction when there's no shoulder available. In this case, it might not be a bad idea because in addition to it feeling pretty narrow, there's also the issue of the ruts (for lack of a better term) left by the old striping.

Sure...VDOT lowers speed limits on construction zones all over the state.  Just not on 95 and 495 in Northern Virginia.

Which is not that surprising.  The toll lanes have locations with no shoulders on either side and on the beltway the majority of them have zero shoulder on one side.  Southbound there is a location where on-ramps come together from both the left and right at the same location.  If 65 mph is ok there, it should be 65 pretty much anywhere on a freeway...

[BrianP]

Va. reaches deal to extend 95 Express Lanes to near Fredericksburg

Virginia has reached a deal to extend the 95 Express Lanes south toward Fredericksburg, and the agreement includes a large enough payment from the private company building the lanes to support an additional I-95 northbound bridge over the Rappahannock River that VDOT had scrapped.

Outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe told the Commonwealth Transportation Board Wednesday morning that the agreement to extend the lanes to Exit 133 (Route 17) includes no upfront money from Virginia taxpayers.

[plain]

Va. reaches deal to extend 95 Express Lanes to near Fredericksburg

Virginia has reached a deal to extend the 95 Express Lanes south toward Fredericksburg, and the agreement includes a large enough payment from the private company building the lanes to support an additional I-95 northbound bridge over the Rappahannock River that VDOT had scrapped.

Outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe told the Commonwealth Transportation Board Wednesday morning that the agreement to extend the lanes to Exit 133 (Route 17) includes no upfront money from Virginia taxpayers.

Wow... that happened quicker than I thought it would

[froggie]

I'm a little skeptical about the "no upfront money from Virginia taxpayers" part...

[1995hoo]

The part I found the most interesting is this paragraph:

Like the additional southbound bridge planned in the area, the northbound span will provide through-lanes that connect to the Express Lanes, while the existing lanes of I-95 will become local lanes in an effort to reduce weaving in the area and speed up traffic.

I haven't paid much attention to the plans for the southbound bridge, but based on this paragraph, I have a mental image of something conceptually similar to the setup around and over the Wilson Bridge such that thru traffic would be segregated (without paying a toll) from traffic going to or from Exit 133. Anyone have more detailed information about what's described in the paragraph quoted above?