I-66 HO/T Lanes

[1995hoo]

All of these signs were (or are) depicted on the plans/maps on the project's website.

Do you have a link to where they may be found? It would make it easier to explain what I'm referring to as looking weird.

Sorry it looks like they are no longer there.   They were featured on all of the map sections.    I will keep searching...

Never mind–see the photo above from davewiecking, which shows the issue to which I was referring.

[1995hoo]

We drove the length of the I-66 outside-the-Beltway HO/T lanes both ways this afternoon going to and from Linden to visit our favorite winery. Nice drive on the weekend. Being able to set the cruise control at 70 mph the entire way and not care whether I saw a cop is very nice. I don't have any negative comments about the lanes themselves. There was one error on a BGS over the general-purpose lanes eastbound at roughly milepost 51.2 where a distance sign has a US shield for what should be VA-123. I'll send VDOT a tweet.

The main thing I noted was that if you are in the general-purpose lanes you have to pay close attention because some exits now come up a lot earlier than they used to. The exit for the Fairfax County Parkway heading east comes up some distance before Stringfellow Road (it used to be after the overpass) so that exiting traffic is already segregated prior to a flyover from the express lanes that feeds that exit, the exit for Route 50, and the general-purpose lanes. Similarly, the exit eastbound for Route 50 now comes just before Monument Drive; in this case, it's not entirely clear why they moved it, but in any event, you now exit and then select which way you want to go on Route 50, whereas before there were separate exits for both directions.

You definitely need to pay attention to the signs at the Beltway going eastbound, as there are now three exits from the HO/T lanes on I-66. The first is a flyover to the right to the Inner Loop mainline, the second is the preexisting exit to the Beltway HO/T lanes (I kind of wish they'd redone the one that goes around the sharp U-turn ramp to go south), and a third exit flies over to the left to access the Outer Loop mainline by joining the ramp from westbound I-66 to the same.

No pictures. My wife doesn't much like it if I take pictures while driving, especially when I'm driving her car as I was today, and because the drive home came after visiting a winery, extra caution always makes sense.

[74/171FAN]

We drove the length of the I-66 outside-the-Beltway HO/T lanes both ways this afternoon going to and from Linden to visit our favorite winery. Nice drive on the weekend. Being able to set the cruise control at 70 mph the entire way and not care whether I saw a cop is very nice. I don't have any negative comments about the lanes themselves. There was one error on a BGS over the general-purpose lanes eastbound at roughly milepost 51.2 where a distance sign has a US shield for what should be VA-123. I'll send VDOT a tweet.

Yeah, I got a photo of that Friday morning when I drove the HOT lanes EB.

The main thing I noted was that if you are in the general-purpose lanes you have to pay close attention because some exits now come up a lot earlier than they used to. The exit for the Fairfax County Parkway heading east comes up some distance before Stringfellow Road (it used to be after the overpass) so that exiting traffic is already segregated prior to a flyover from the express lanes that feeds that exit, the exit for Route 50, and the general-purpose lanes. Similarly, the exit eastbound for Route 50 now comes just before Monument Drive; in this case, it's not entirely clear why they moved it, but in any event, you now exit and then select which way you want to go on Route 50, whereas before there were separate exits for both directions.

I noticed that Winchester is not a control city on I-66 EB for US 50 WB anymore though it probably should never have been.  I think that VA 50 shield that Mileage Mike recently found is gone too.

You definitely need to pay attention to the signs at the Beltway going eastbound, as there are now three exits from the HO/T lanes on I-66. The first is a flyover to the right to the Inner Loop mainline, the second is the preexisting exit to the Beltway HO/T lanes (I kind of wish they'd redone the one that goes around the sharp U-turn ramp to go south), and a third exit flies over to the left to access the Outer Loop mainline by joining the ramp from westbound I-66 to the same.

Yeah, I meant to go onto the I-495 HOT Lanes instead of the Inner Loop.  Oh well, it did allow me to photograph the approach to I-66 from the Outer Loop after turning around at VA 7 (and saved me toll money).

[1995hoo]

If you have a Twitter account and are inclined to respond to me there with a photo, my handle is the same as my username here.

[sprjus4]

This is random, but any reason the I-66 Express Lanes open up to 70 mph immediately west of I-495, but the I-95 Express Lanes remain 65 mph all the way down to Stafford? I can understand 65 mph on the I-395 portion and down to Woodbridge as it's more urban, but I feel like 70 mph would be reasonable south of Woodbridge. I've heard that the new extension to Fredericksburg will be 70 mph, but I feel as if part of existing portion could be as well. I've driven them before and have hit 80 mph without realizing it... they're very well designed.

I'd argue even the general purpose lanes could be 70 mph between Fredericksburg and Triangle, especially once construction on the 12-lane divided portion near Fredericksburg is complete and you can drive "through"  without interacting with US-17 and VA-3 anymore. I understand the roadway is considered "urban"  enough to retain the 65 mph speed limit, and it is often traffic plagued, but when traffic is lighter, I feel like 70 mph is not unreasonable and that portion travels through a relatively rural environment until you reach Triangle / Dumfries with entrance / exit points that are well spaced out.

I apologize for the rant about I-95 on an I-66 thread... but it mainly just stems from the difference in Express Lane speed limit.

[1995hoo]

That's a very good question. I wish I had an answer.

[Dirt Roads]

This is random, but any reason the I-66 Express Lanes open up to 70 mph immediately west of I-495, but the I-95 Express Lanes remain 65 mph all the way down to Stafford?

After watching VDOT upgrade I-85 south of Dinwiddie to 70MPH, it appears that there are specific engineering issues related to the following general conditions:

• Shoulder widths
• Rumble strips and rumble strip envelopes (relative distances between lane striping and edge of rumble strip)
• Length of deceleration lanes and acceleration lanes
• Crashworthiness design of guardrails
• Crashworthiness design of guardrail endcaps

If I recall correctly, I-95 north of Thornburg doesn't meet some the current 70MPH design standards, particularly with respect to deceleration/acceleration lanes and guardrails.  I'm pretty sure that this is true for the Shirley Reversible Lanes as well.  I also suspect that the traffic density in that areas is a big factor against making these relatively inexpensive upgrades, as traffic congestion and higher speed limits don't usually go together in the same sentence (and freeflow traffic there is generally going more than 12.5MPH over the posted speed limit). 

[sprjus4]

^ I-81 through basically the whole state (exceptions being Christiansburg thru Roanoke, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Strasburg) is posted at 70 mph, in a lot of areas with 60 mph curves and short acceleration / deceleration lanes.

I'm not opposed to, as I would see it pointless to have to hold 65 mph in a lot of those areas on the straightaways, but VDOT has been lenient in a few areas with those higher speeds.

As far as traffic density, wouldn't that argument apply for the entire DC-Richmond corridor then? The stretch of I-95 between Ashland and Fredericksburg has high volumes of traffic and frequent congestion paired with a 70 mph speed limit.

Not I-95, but I-64 east of Richmond is often plagued with congestion, and a roughly 40 mile portion between Bottoms Bridge and Williamsburg is posted at 70 mph.

VDOT seemed selectively with the 70 mph limit initially, but then extended it to basically all rural interstate highway segments in the state, even in some questionable areas.

As far as I-95 north of Fredericksburg, wouldn't, at the very least, the reversible HO/T lanes south of Woodbridge (not the original 1970s portion, the newer part built with the Express Lanes project in the last decade), be designed well enough for 70 mph?

Additionally, wasn't all of I-95 between Ashland and Triangle widened to six lanes and to the same design specification in the 1980s? What was different about the design south of Fredericksburg than north of Fredericksburg that warrants a speed difference?

[Mapmikey]

The transition from 65 to 60, now at Woodbridge, used to be south of Dumfries.  I might be remembering wrong but it was the replacement of the I-95 bridge over Quantico Creek that seemed to get that moved.

The Express Lanes south of Dale City have full width shoulders on both sides and good ramp lengths.  I was wondering if the speed limit on this segment will increase to 70 when the Stafford segment is opened.

[1995hoo]

I recall the speed limit change on I-95 used to be just north of the weigh station. Northbound, it came immediately after the left-side entrance to the express lanes; southbound, it came right after the left-side exit from the express lanes (and one of the signs had a nonstandard "6").

Speaking of relocated speed limit changes, prior to HO/T conversion the 65-mph limit on I-395 began/ended just south of the ramp to/from VA-27. Now it's somewhat further to the south, closer to the first toll gantry and perhaps halfway between the Pentagon and Shirlington.

I suspect on I-395 part of the issue is the lack of essentially any shoulder on the left side (when the lanes are pointed north).

[Mapmikey]

I recall the speed limit change on I-95 used to be just north of the weigh station. Northbound, it came immediately after the left-side entrance to the express lanes; southbound, it came right after the left-side exit from the express lanes (and one of the signs had a nonstandard "6").

Speaking of relocated speed limit changes, prior to HO/T conversion the 65-mph limit on I-395 began/ended just south of the ramp to/from VA-27. Now it's somewhat further to the south, closer to the first toll gantry and perhaps halfway between the Pentagon and Shirlington.

I suspect on I-395 part of the issue is the lack of essentially any shoulder on the left side (when the lanes are pointed north).

Yes, the 60-65 line on 95 was moved to the SR 610 overpass north of weigh station for a time.

95 express lanes have no shoulders on either side at Franconia-Springfield Pkwy, but retains a 65 limit through there.

[1995hoo]

I found the old sign with the nonstandard "6" that I mentioned. This one always caught my eye as just looking off every time I saw it:

https://goo.gl/maps/x1yqQRydRDSH1vvw7

(In case the wrong year opens, I was intending to link the July 2015 image.)

[Mapmikey]

I found the old sign with the nonstandard "6" that I mentioned. This one always caught my eye as just looking off every time I saw it:

https://goo.gl/maps/x1yqQRydRDSH1vvw7

(In case the wrong year opens, I was intending to link the July 2015 image.)

It looks more like the 5 is the problem, possibly a patch but resolution not good enough zoomed in to tell.

Here's the old Speed Limit 60 sign south of Dumfries which they just turned outward for several years instead of replacing it.

[1995hoo]

If you zoom it out and compare it to the one on the other side of the same carriageway, you'll see what I mean.



My E-ZPass just replenished, so I looked at my statement to see what posted from this past weekend. As previously mentioned, we drove the length of the I-66 Outside the Beltway lanes in both directions on Sunday afternoon. I wasn't focused on where the toll gantries were, but my E-ZPass statement has two entries for the outbound trip and shows we passed two gantries–"415" is on the ramp from the I-495 HO/T lanes to the I-66 lanes and then "423" is somewhere in the vicinity of Route 28. I had noted how the signs show a single toll to multiple exits. On the way back, we have but a single $9.00 entry showing we went from "401" ("Western Entry" near Gainesville) to "411" ("EB Cont Chain Bridge"). It's interesting and odd that the outbound trip posted as two line items while the return trip posted as a single one. The reason the toll was up to $9.00 on the way back appeared to be a wreck in the mainline near the Vienna Metro.

[74/171FAN]

I wasn't focused on where the toll gantries were, but my E-ZPass statement has two entries for the outbound trip and shows we passed two gantries–"415" is on the ramp from the I-495 HO/T lanes to the I-66 lanes and then "423" is somewhere in the vicinity of Route 28. I had noted how the signs show a single toll to multiple exits. On the way back, we have but a single $9.00 entry showing we went from "401" ("Western Entry" near Gainesville) to "411" ("EB Cont Chain Bridge").  It's interesting and odd that the outbound trip posted as two line items while the return trip posted as a single one. The reason the toll was up to $9.00 on the way back appeared to be a wreck in the mainline near the Vienna Metro.

I just had one entry for $22 heading EB as with the same entry points you stated above.

[Mapmikey]

I wasn't focused on where the toll gantries were, but my E-ZPass statement has two entries for the outbound trip and shows we passed two gantries–"415" is on the ramp from the I-495 HO/T lanes to the I-66 lanes and then "423" is somewhere in the vicinity of Route 28. I had noted how the signs show a single toll to multiple exits. On the way back, we have but a single $9.00 entry showing we went from "401" ("Western Entry" near Gainesville) to "411" ("EB Cont Chain Bridge").  It's interesting and odd that the outbound trip posted as two line items while the return trip posted as a single one. The reason the toll was up to $9.00 on the way back appeared to be a wreck in the mainline near the Vienna Metro.

I just had one entry for $22 heading EB as with the same entry points you stated above.

I-95 Express Lanes also has more segments SB than NB

[1995hoo]

I'm more puzzled as to why the inbound trip was one line item but the outbound trip was two. The I-95/395 lanes aggregate the segments into a single charge on your statement.

[bluecountry]

We drove the length of the I-66 outside-the-Beltway HO/T lanes both ways this afternoon going to and from Linden to visit our favorite winery. Nice drive on the weekend. Being able to set the cruise control at 70 mph the entire way and not care whether I saw a cop is very nice. I don't have any negative comments about the lanes themselves. There was one error on a BGS over the general-purpose lanes eastbound at roughly milepost 51.2 where a distance sign has a US shield for what should be VA-123. I'll send VDOT a tweet.

Yeah, I got a photo of that Friday morning when I drove the HOT lanes EB.

The main thing I noted was that if you are in the general-purpose lanes you have to pay close attention because some exits now come up a lot earlier than they used to. The exit for the Fairfax County Parkway heading east comes up some distance before Stringfellow Road (it used to be after the overpass) so that exiting traffic is already segregated prior to a flyover from the express lanes that feeds that exit, the exit for Route 50, and the general-purpose lanes. Similarly, the exit eastbound for Route 50 now comes just before Monument Drive; in this case, it's not entirely clear why they moved it, but in any event, you now exit and then select which way you want to go on Route 50, whereas before there were separate exits for both directions.

I noticed that Winchester is not a control city on I-66 EB for US 50 WB anymore though it probably should never have been.  I think that VA 50 shield that Mileage Mike recently found is gone too.

You definitely need to pay attention to the signs at the Beltway going eastbound, as there are now three exits from the HO/T lanes on I-66. The first is a flyover to the right to the Inner Loop mainline, the second is the preexisting exit to the Beltway HO/T lanes (I kind of wish they'd redone the one that goes around the sharp U-turn ramp to go south), and a third exit flies over to the left to access the Outer Loop mainline by joining the ramp from westbound I-66 to the same.

Yeah, I meant to go onto the I-495 HOT Lanes instead of the Inner Loop.  Oh well, it did allow me to photograph the approach to I-66 from the Outer Loop after turning around at VA 7 (and saved me toll money).

1.  About cops, I have found it irritating that just about every time I take the 66 Express lanes to Gainesville, between Centreville and Gainesville there is always some hack cherrypicking in his squad car, like they have nothing better to do.  Always find it funny how they seem to show up when there is no congestion just to harass drivers.  I find it refreshing how in WV it appears their state troopers either have real work to do or they don't waste tax resources on hassling motorists.  If I ever became governor, I'd slash state trooper funding by 30% or more, it is clear they have little other things to do now.
2.  What is the control city for 50 W from 66 EB?  Hard to say what it should be since there really is not any formal city, just places like Chantilly.

[bluecountry]

Thanks.
So what construction is left, because there still is work going on, particularly at Route 28.

Also....on 66 east before Centreville, the overhead sign has Route 123, but it has the US Route symbol, not the state.  How does that happen?

Here is the picture...how did they let this happen?

[74/171FAN]

I am unsure why I am not seeing the photos.  They seem to be directly linked here...

2.  What is the control city for 50 W from 66 EB?  Hard to say what it should be since there really is not any formal city, just places like Chantilly.

Fair Oaks

[FLAVORTOWN]

Surprised VDOT didnt change the BGS orders to Clearview font since they drank the kool aid  (I did notice they changed the signs to say Tysons instead of Tysons Corner)

I've noticed a BGS that has an incomplete install on the express lanes, the bottom portion is missing (where it's supposed to show the exit arrows). Nicely done guys

[1995hoo]

The BGS orders were most likely made as part of the project contract during the period when the FHWA tried to revoke authorization to use Clearview. That's part of the reason why newer sign installations in Virginia sometimes have a seeming mishmash of a Clearview sign next to an old-style sign or similar.

[sprjus4]

^ I'm curious about that. Because down in South Hampton Roads, all the new signs being installed along the I-64 corridor from Bowers Hill to I-264 in Norfolk apart of the HO/T lanes and widening projects, along with the I-264 interchange reconstruction, also use the old FHWA font (which looks better, IMO). Is VDOT shifting back to these?.

[FLAVORTOWN]

Doubt it, I think VDOT is preaching Clearview as gospel now. They recently replaced the I-66 Exit 69 sign to reflect the road name change and its in Clearview.

Highway Gothic is much better, the Clearview font looks ugly as sin and is just awful to look at. Should have never gave it an approval 

[74/171FAN]

Here is my US 123 photo for those that cannot see bluecountry's photo:  https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10218062529315277&set=a.10217882628937880