Virginia

[WillWeaverRVA]

Unrelated to the above, but a topic that greatly interests me because of where I live, is that VDOT published its report with the results of the study for improvements to Van Dorn Street from Kingstowne Boulevard to the Beltway. Note it's a 139-page .PDF. I have no comments to offer yet because I haven't had time to read it so far.

Hopefully that project can include extending the VA 401 designation to the Beltway (the study area actually includes part of Van Dorn Street in Alexandria between the city limits and Pickett Street) so the designation doesn't just end abruptly.

[1995hoo]

Unrelated to the above, but a topic that greatly interests me because of where I live, is that VDOT published its report with the results of the study for improvements to Van Dorn Street from Kingstowne Boulevard to the Beltway. Note it's a 139-page .PDF. I have no comments to offer yet because I haven't had time to read it so far.

Hopefully that project can include extending the VA 401 designation to the Beltway (the study area actually includes part of Van Dorn Street in Alexandria between the city limits and Pickett Street) so the designation doesn't just end abruptly.

The main reason I didn't mention the Alexandria section is that when they asked for public comments, they didn't ask for anything regarding that area. They asked about things up to the interchange with the Beltway, but they didn't ask about anything north of there. So I didn't mention it. The study also included the intersection of Beulah Street and Franconia Road (and, relatedly, Larkspur Drive just east of there).

I would like to see a couple of improvements in Alexandria, but I'm not holding my breath:

• Longer right-turn lane northbound at Pickett Street. That particular light is the main northbound bottleneck in my experience (most recently last night)—once you get past there, traffic moves much better. I recognize there's not much, if any, room for an extended turn lane there. (That's an older Street View because the latest one has a dump truck in the way.)
• Synchronize the lights at the paving company (Courtney Avenue) and Pickett Street. The former regularly turns green while the latter is still red, so nobody can go anywhere.
• Eliminate left turns from southbound Van Dorn to Eisenhower Avenue because the loop-around route via Metro Road accomplishes the same movement. Doing this would allow more northbound green time. But, of course, unless and until they can solve the backup at the Pickett light, more northbound green time would just speed the trip into the backup.
• I suppose it would also be possible to ban left turns from westbound Eisenhower to southbound Van Dorn for the same reason, although the merge area on Van Dorn is tight (combined with a right-turn-only lane into the industrial area) and could not handle the resulting volume of traffic. For that reason I don't think I'd ban the left turn. The left turn also has two lanes, whereas Metro Road has only one.

Last night I looked at the .PDF I linked in my earlier post. The thing I don't especially like is the elimination of the median cut at Villa Street on Franconia Road just west of Van Dorn. That access point takes pressure off Van Dorn as an exit point for people in the Northampton neighborhood (west of Van Dorn and north of Lake Village Drive) and, to a lesser extent, the neighborhoods along Lake Village Drive. Once the median cut is closed, to go west on Franconia they'll have to exit via Lake Village, go left on Van Dorn, and go left again at the next light. I understand the desire to extend the left-turn lanes on eastbound Franconia, however. The document linked above says the lineup for the light can reach half a mile during rush hour, and from my observations over the years that's probably accurate. It results in all three lanes backing up because line-cutters use the other two lanes and then stop, blocking traffic, in an attempt to shove left at the front of the queue.

[sprjus4]

I am always there

I will gladly pay and benefit from

I expect to be always there so new lanes are being taken away

My use of

I will use

I see...

[WillWeaverRVA]

I am always there

I will gladly pay and benefit from

I expect to be always there so new lanes are being taken away

My use of

I will use

I see...

The clipped "I am always there" really creeped me out.

[vdeane]

Not quite the same situation.

On I-64 in Hampton Roads, most of the conversion involves turning underused HOV lanes into dynamically priced Express Lanes while keeping three free general-purpose lanes. In a few short segments they do take a GP lane, but the overall network is designed around pricing that keeps the managed lane flowing and gives drivers a choice.

Simply restriping a busy general-purpose lane into a separated "express" lane with no (or weak) demand management is what tends to make the remaining GP lanes worse. Virginia's priced Express Lanes systems (both Northern Virginia and the expanding Hampton Roads network) use variable tolls specifically to avoid that outcome. The two approaches are not interchangeable.

When I was on that portion of I-94, the two general purpose lanes were packed, while the express lane (the former third general purpose lane, which was segregated off with bollards for testing self-driving cars, although traffic is allowed to use it as an express lane) was empty.  I'm not sure how a variable toll to gaurantee free-flow would have helped, given that utilization was already very low.  People just want the ability to pass those who are going slower than they'd like (even if those people are already going the speed limit or faster; not that you could get to 70 on I-94 with how much traffic there was).

That said, when this was described as removing a general purpose lane on I-64, I was imagining an actual general purpose lane... not an HOV lane that is rarely restricted to HOV traffic.  At least going from four to three would hopefully be less impact than going from three to two.

[Beltway]

I am always there

I will gladly pay and benefit from

I expect to be always there so new lanes are being taken away

My use of

I will use

I see...

The clipped "I am always there" really creeped me out.

Oh sure -- I am there 24/7/365! Endless loops on the Hampton Roads Beltway! :-)

OK I get it -- some people don't like the HOT lanes -- and I do -- I see plenty of others there as well.

Let's leave it at that.

[Beltway]

When I was on that portion of I-94, the two general purpose lanes were packed, while the express lane (the former third general purpose lane, which was segregated off with bollards for testing self-driving cars, although traffic is allowed to use it as an express lane) was empty.  I'm not sure how a variable toll to gaurantee free-flow would have helped, given that utilization was already very low.  People just want the ability to pass those who are going slower than they'd like (even if those people are already going the speed limit or faster; not that you could get to 70 on I-94 with how much traffic there was).

Looks like a rather different setup.

What happened on Michigan's I-94 with the Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) pilot is a textbook example of why drivers get furious. The state took an existing, functioning general-purpose lane, walled it off with plastic pylon markers to create a 3-mile "smart express lane" for technology testing, and effectively reduced a public freeway from three general lanes down to two. Local commuters noted it instantly made general congestion worse, acting as a bottleneck just to isolate a lane for future tech.

While it remains open to the public during normal driving hours, it is legally shut down to the regular public during off-peak testing windows (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays) so automated test cars can use it exclusively.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/about/faqs/road-projects/i-94-connected-and-automated-vehicle-pilot

[vdeane]

While it remains open to the public during normal driving hours, it is legally shut down to the regular public during off-peak testing windows (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays) so automated test cars can use it exclusively.

Looking at the FAQ on your own link, they have the option to close it to general traffic during those times for testing - it is not automatically closed every weekday during those times.

[Thing 342]

VDOT, in an effort to improve traffic flow on the Peninsula, will be reducing I-64 from four to three lanes for 15 miles.

If I-64 in Chesapeake is any indication, expect new pockets of daily traffic congestion on the general purpose lanes permanently that did not previously exist.

Denbigh Boulevard (exit 250)

They got the name of the exit wrong in their own press release...

As someone that used to drive this stretch daily, this project makes negative amounts of sense, there's no reason to use the express lanes at any time of day since this section rarely backs up. Further, once you enter at MM 254 you're stuck behind whoever for 10 miles until you hit I-664.

Should also mention that the existing tolls apparently only break even and have next to no chance of recouping the costs of the project itself: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/hrbt-express-lanes-expansion-projects-135300887.html

Gross toll revenue for fiscal year 2025 for the Chesapeake and Norfolk express lanes was $9.4 million, according to VDOT. Projected gross revenue for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $10.4 million. VDOT said revenues are covering the costs of operating the toll lanes "and that has been the benchmark for success."

[Beltway]

Further, once you enter at MM 254 you're stuck behind whoever for 10 miles until you hit I-664.

Should be like I-64 in Chesapeake -- that has two local entry/exit points -- at just east of the High-Rise Bridge and for Indian River Road. I use the latter on my trips to VA Beach Centerville area.

Gross toll revenue for fiscal year 2025 for the Chesapeake and Norfolk express lanes was $9.4 million, according to VDOT. Projected gross revenue for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $10.4 million. VDOT said revenues are covering the costs of operating the toll lanes "and that has been the benchmark for success."

Should increase dramatically after the full system is open. Especially with 8-lane HRBT. 

I will have to see how HREL Newport News Segment (4A/4B) works out after it is open. When HRBT Expansion is open that segment should see increases in traffic.

[sprjus4]

As someone that used to drive this stretch daily, this project makes negative amounts of sense, there's no reason to use the express lanes at any time of day since this section rarely backs up.

It's a project to address a problem that doesn't exist. It's a waste of tax dollars that would be better spent elsewhere. That part of I-64 was expanded in the early 2000s and has operated smoothly ever since. I drove through there on Monday around 4:30-5pm going westbound, and was easily cruising at 75+ mph. All 4 lanes being evenly utilized, smooth flowing traffic, no issues.

I can understand the HO/T lane expansion between I-664 and I-564 through the HRBT. It should end at I-664. There is zero justification to extend it further.

[sprjus4]

Gross toll revenue for fiscal year 2025 for the Chesapeake and Norfolk express lanes was $9.4 million, according to VDOT. Projected gross revenue for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $10.4 million. VDOT said revenues are covering the costs of operating the toll lanes "and that has been the benchmark for success."

Should increase dramatically after the full system is open. Especially with 8-lane HRBT. 

An expansion project on the HRBT will suddenly increase the traffic volumes dramatically on the empty HO/T lanes in Chesapeake 20+ miles away...? Riggghttttt...

[Beltway]

Gross toll revenue for fiscal year 2025 for the Chesapeake and Norfolk express lanes was $9.4 million, according to VDOT. Projected gross revenue for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $10.4 million. VDOT said revenues are covering the costs of operating the toll lanes "and that has been the benchmark for success."

Should increase dramatically after the full system is open. Especially with 8-lane HRBT. 

An expansion project on the HRBT will suddenly increase the traffic volumes dramatically on the empty HO/T lanes in Chesapeake 20+ miles away...? Riggghttttt...

There you go again -- repeating "empty" and saying "suddenly" when I didn't say it would be quick. Clearly having 12 Interstate highway lanes across Hampton Roads will be a major capacity increase over the current 8 lanes.

There is a final major segment that just had groundbreaking last month -- HREL Norfolk Segment 1B.

[sprjus4]

There you go again -- repeating "empty" and saying "suddenly" when I didn't say it would be quick.

So we're spending nearly $200 million to tear up existing 8 lane interstate highways that have adequate traffic capacity and no issues, to remove a lane (HOV for 2 hours each weekday), to prepare for something that might play out 5-10+ years down the road?