I-66 HO/T Lanes

[oscar]

Does anybody know inside the beltway what is going on with 66 construction just east of Glebe Street and the Rossyln tunnel?  I do not get why 66 is not 6 lanes just east of Glebe Road as the underpass of the NSF has ample space, I hope this is being fixed.

I went to one of VDOT's public forums about three proposals to add auxiliary lanes to I-66 between VA 267, and Lee Highway (now Langston Blvd.) east of Glebe Rd. The widening east of Glebe Rd. was portrayed as the easiest and least costly but also least useful of the proposals (the other two, west of Glebe Rd., have been completed). My impression is that the completed widenings left no money for the low-priority phase 3. Given fierce local opposition, two out of three ain't bad.

BTW, the "underpass of the NSF" you mention is actually under a parking garage for what is now Washington-Liberty High School, to offset school parking lost to I-66 construction. NSF is several blocks south of I-66.

[bluecountry]

Does anybody know inside the beltway what is going on with 66 construction just east of Glebe Street and the Rossyln tunnel?  I do not get why 66 is not 6 lanes just east of Glebe Road as the underpass of the NSF has ample space, I hope this is being fixed.

I went to one of VDOT's public forums about three proposals to add auxiliary lanes to I-66 between VA 267, and Lee Highway (now Langston Blvd.) east of Glebe Rd. The widening east of Glebe Rd. was portrayed as the easiest and least costly but also least useful of the proposals (the other two, west of Glebe Rd., have been completed). My impression is that the completed widenings left no money for the low-priority phase 3. Given fierce local opposition, two out of three ain't bad.

BTW, the "underpass of the NSF" you mention is actually under a parking garage for what is now Washington-Liberty High School, to offset school parking lost to I-66 construction. NSF is several blocks south of I-66.

And it has the space already, it just needs re-stirpping. SO frustrating.

[froggie]

BTW, the "underpass of the NSF" you mention is actually under a parking garage for what is now Washington-Liberty High School, to offset school parking lost to I-66 construction. NSF is several blocks south of I-66.

And it has the space already, it just needs re-stirpping. SO frustrating.

Only if they get a design exemption from FHWA for a substandard shoulder.  While it appears wide under the parking garage, it is not wide enough for an extra lane plus standard-width shoulder.

[oscar]

Does anybody know inside the beltway what is going on with 66 construction just east of Glebe Street and the Rossyln tunnel?  I do not get why 66 is not 6 lanes just east of Glebe Road as the underpass of the NSF has ample space, I hope this is being fixed.

And it has the space already, it just needs re-stirpping. SO frustrating.

VDOT estimated the cost of adding a westbound auxiliary lane between Langston Blvd. and Glebe Rd. would be $5 million. This might include fencing or other protections between the freeway and the adjacent bike trail, since I-66 traffic with the additional lane would be closer to the trail.

Even with an additional WB lane east of Glebe Rd., traffic would have to immediately exit at Glebe Rd., or squeeze back to two westbound lanes hemmed in by the bike trail, Metrorail, and several bridges over I-66, to get to the planned (and now existing) three-lane segment west of the Fairfax Dr. ramps. This is probably what VDOT had in mind, when it said the widening you propose would be cheap but also kind of pointless.

Widening I-66 east to the Rosslyn tunnel was also a non-starter, with lots of ROW constraints, and the tunnel itself a chokepoint (my hunch is that was intentional) for traffic to and from D.C. and the Pentagon.

[1995hoo]

We had a dinner reservation out at the old Vint Hill Farms Station last night, so I used the I-66 express lanes outside the Beltway to make sure we were on time. Used them the entire way from the Beltway to the end and then exited at Haymarket. There was something going on at Nissan Pavilion, so exiting at University Boulevard to connect to Route 29 through the Gainesville area wasn't viable due to a long lineup of exiting traffic. Meanwhile, the mainline crawled from the Beltway to Fair Oaks, and then one of the electronic signs just west of Fair Oaks was warning that it would take 40 minutes out there to go the 14 miles to Haymarket. Turned out the two right lanes of the mainline were blocked by some sort of incident between 234 Business and 234 Bypass (I couldn't quite see what had happened) and the backup stretched all the way to the hill just south of Route 29 at Centreville. But I just left the cruise control set at 70 mph the entire time and we sailed past it all. Total toll? Ouch. It came to $55.20. BUT when we're going to a special dinner (my wife's birthday was Thursday and mine is this coming Saturday), the restaurant has one seating per night, and we're already spending a lot for dinner, paying that toll to ensure we were on time was well worth it. It was about 50 minutes door-to-door. I was somewhat surprised that we didn't see people bailing off the mainline to take Route 29 through the battlefield as an alternate route.

I haven't been down I-95 to Fredericksburg very often since the HO/T extension opened there, so I don't know how the tolls compare to I-66. The tolls on I-66 strike me as significantly higher than the ones on the Beltway (recognizing, of course, it's a longer facility end-to-end and it doesn't quite have the same number of alternative options via surface roads) and I can certainly see why it's not viable for most people to pay them on a daily basis.

(Took a different route coming home.)

[74/171FAN]

We had a dinner reservation out at the old Vint Hill Farms Station last night, so I used the I-66 express lanes outside the Beltway to make sure we were on time. Used them the entire way from the Beltway to the end and then exited at Haymarket. There was something going on at Nissan Pavilion, so exiting at University Boulevard to connect to Route 29 through the Gainesville area wasn't viable due to a long lineup of exiting traffic. Meanwhile, the mainline crawled from the Beltway to Fair Oaks, and then one of the electronic signs just west of Fair Oaks was warning that it would take 40 minutes out there to go the 14 miles to Haymarket. Turned out the two right lanes of the mainline were blocked by some sort of incident between 234 Business and 234 Bypass (I couldn't quite see what had happened) and the backup stretched all the way to the hill just south of Route 29 at Centreville. But I just left the cruise control set at 70 mph the entire time and we sailed past it all. Total toll? Ouch. It came to $55.20. BUT when we're going to a special dinner (my wife's birthday was Thursday and mine is this coming Saturday), the restaurant has one seating per night, and we're already spending a lot for dinner, paying that toll to ensure we were on time was well worth it. It was about 50 minutes door-to-door. I was somewhat surprised that we didn't see people bailing off the mainline to take Route 29 through the battlefield as an alternate route.

I haven't been down I-95 to Fredericksburg very often since the HO/T extension opened there, so I don't know how the tolls compare to I-66. The tolls on I-66 strike me as significantly higher than the ones on the Beltway (recognizing, of course, it's a longer facility end-to-end and it doesn't quite have the same number of alternative options via surface roads) and I can certainly see why it's not viable for most people to pay them on a daily basis.

(Took a different route coming home.)

I-95 seems to be less.  I only paid about $26 from the Springfield Interchange to US 17 back in March heading south.

[Mapmikey]

95 would be $50+ if 2 lanes were blocked on the mainline near the south end of the express lanes.

During a normal rush hour the toll on 95 from the beltway to Fredericksburg is $30-$40.

[Beltway]

Turned out the two right lanes of the mainline were blocked by some sort of incident between 234 Business and 234 Bypass (I couldn't quite see what had happened) and the backup stretched all the way to the hill just south of Route 29 at Centreville. But I just left the cruise control set at 70 mph the entire time and we sailed past it all. Total toll? Ouch. It came to $55.20.

That will do it. An incident with 2 lanes blocked that causes a 7- or 8-mile backup will lead to a sky high toll on the HOT lanes -- to keep them moving at 50 mph or more.

I haven't been down I-95 to Fredericksburg very often since the HO/T extension opened there, so I don't know how the tolls compare to I-66.

Nine trips between US-17 and I-495 since 9/12/2023, in or near rush hours.

Average is $22.51. High is $35.65. Low is $12.65.

[1995hoo]

Thanks for the I-95 info. Guess I'll see how it is midday on a summer Friday this coming weekend. At least my reunion is next weekend and not Memorial Day, as I have a feeling traffic was probably heavy this past Friday in a way it won't be next weekend.

[Mapmikey]

Thanks for the I-95 info. Guess I'll see how it is midday on a summer Friday this coming weekend. At least my reunion is next weekend and not Memorial Day, as I have a feeling traffic was probably heavy this past Friday in a way it won't be next weekend.

Both the express and local lanes were a parking lot a full 2 miles before they merge back together beyond VA 3 yesterday and Friday.

It won't be that bad next weekend but it is often slow through there on weekends throughout the year. 6 lanes dropping to 3 fairly abruptly does this.

[Rothman]

Thanks for the I-95 info. Guess I'll see how it is midday on a summer Friday this coming weekend. At least my reunion is next weekend and not Memorial Day, as I have a feeling traffic was probably heavy this past Friday in a way it won't be next weekend.

Both the express and local lanes were a parking lot a full 2 miles before they merge back together beyond VA 3 yesterday and Friday.

It won't be that bad next weekend but it is often slow through there on weekends throughout the year. 6 lanes dropping to 3 fairly abruptly does this.

I-95 south of DC is simply one of the worst drives in the U.S.

[1995hoo]

Thanks for the I-95 info. Guess I'll see how it is midday on a summer Friday this coming weekend. At least my reunion is next weekend and not Memorial Day, as I have a feeling traffic was probably heavy this past Friday in a way it won't be next weekend.

Both the express and local lanes were a parking lot a full 2 miles before they merge back together beyond VA 3 yesterday and Friday.

It won't be that bad next weekend but it is often slow through there on weekends throughout the year. 6 lanes dropping to 3 fairly abruptly does this.

Yeah, my usual route to Charlottesville means exiting at Route 3. I recall last July when we went to Keswick Hall for our anniversary the local lanes slowed prior to the rest area (and some people were driving through the rest area to try to get ahead). Makes me consider exiting at Route 17 and then using US-1 to connect, but I tend to doubt that would actually save any time. It's too bad there's no way across the river until you're almost to Remington. Doesn't make sense to go that way because it would be easier and almost certainly faster just to use US-29 if you're going to go that far west.

[Mapmikey]

If you have a passenger have them check cameras down in Fredericksburg. If it appears slow, you can try 17 to 1. But do not take 1 to 3. VA 3 is often jammed from 1 to just past 95.

Instead turn right at the first light past the Rappahannock bridge then right at next stop sign onto Fall Hill Ave. follow that to VA 3.

[sprjus4]

Thanks for the I-95 info. Guess I'll see how it is midday on a summer Friday this coming weekend. At least my reunion is next weekend and not Memorial Day, as I have a feeling traffic was probably heavy this past Friday in a way it won't be next weekend.

Both the express and local lanes were a parking lot a full 2 miles before they merge back together beyond VA 3 yesterday and Friday.

It won't be that bad next weekend but it is often slow through there on weekends throughout the year. 6 lanes dropping to 3 fairly abruptly does this.

I-95 south of DC is simply one of the worst drives in the U.S.

Worst or expensive, or both. Yeesh. Glad I haven't been up that way in over a year.

[Beltway]

I-95 south of DC is simply one of the worst drives in the U.S. [New York City is the worst]

Worst or expensive, or both. Yeesh. Glad I haven't been up that way in over a year.

I drive it regularly and it is a great drive because I use the express lanes between US-1 Massaponax and I-495 at 70 mph and it is worth every penny I spend on it.

The completion of the express lanes and the C-D lanes has broken the bottleneck at Fredericksburg and brought it into the early 21st century.

[1995hoo]

If you have a passenger have them check cameras down in Fredericksburg. If it appears slow, you can try 17 to 1. But do not take 1 to 3. VA 3 is often jammed from 1 to just past 95.

Instead turn right at the first light past the Rappahannock bridge then right at next stop sign onto Fall Hill Ave. follow that to VA 3.

Excellent point. Thanks. I completely forgot about Fall Hill.

[Beltway]

If you have a passenger have them check cameras down in Fredericksburg. If it appears slow, you can try 17 to 1. But do not take 1 to 3. VA 3 is often jammed from 1 to just past 95.
Instead turn right at the first light past the Rappahannock bridge then right at next stop sign onto Fall Hill Ave. follow that to VA 3.

Excellent point. Thanks. I completely forgot about Fall Hill.

If you wanted to bypass Fredericksburg, you should have exited here --

[Mapmikey]

Not sure how that helps somebody going from Fairfax County to Charlottesville...

[Beltway]

Not sure how that helps somebody going from Fairfax County to Charlottesville...

I would utilize the I-66 to US-29 route. Depending on where you are in the county there are several arterial highways to utilize to get to I-66.

[1995hoo]

Not sure how that helps somebody going from Fairfax County to Charlottesville...

I would utilize the I-66 to US-29 route. Depending on where you are in the county there are several arterial highways to utilize to get to I-66.

That's the route I generally used during my college years because my parents lived closer to Fairfax City (near WT Woodson HS, if that gives you a sense). But I sometimes used the I-95/VA-3/VA-20 combination because one of my roommates second and third year lived near Mount Vernon and that route was more direct to and from his house—he's actually the person who taught me that route. From where I live now (off Van Dorn Street), the I-95 route is likewise more direct. That's why I usually go that way. Sometimes I still opt for Route 29, most often if we are driving at night, because I'm less concerned about deer on that road. We had a near-miss some years back just east of the airport near Orange when a vehicle ahead of us hit a deer. (The full route I use is I-95 to Route 3, west to Route 20, then southwest to Orange, left onto Route 15 to Gordonsville, second exit off the roundabout onto Route 231, which becomes Route 22 and dumps you onto Route 250 near Shadwell.)

[Beltway]

Not sure how that helps somebody going from Fairfax County to Charlottesville...

I would utilize the I-66 to US-29 route. Depending on where you are in the county there are several arterial highways to utilize to get to I-66.

That's the route I generally used during my college years because my parents lived closer to Fairfax City (near WT Woodson HS, if that gives you a sense). But I sometimes used the I-95/VA-3/VA-20 combination because one of my roommates second and third year lived near Mount Vernon and that route was more direct to and from his house—he's actually the person who taught me that route. From where I live now (off Van Dorn Street), the I-95 route is likewise more direct. That's why I usually go that way. Sometimes I still opt for Route 29, most often if we are driving at night, because I'm less concerned about deer on that road. We had a near-miss some years back just east of the airport near Orange when a vehicle ahead of us hit a deer. (The full route I use is I-95 to Route 3, west to Route 20, then southwest to Orange, left onto Route 15 to Gordonsville, second exit off the roundabout onto Route 231, which becomes Route 22 and dumps you onto Route 250 near Shadwell.)

If there is a waypoint that certainly change the overall routing.

With the completions since 2010 of VA-286, VA-234 widenings, I-66 HOT lanes, I-95 HOT lanes, US-29 Gainesville Interchange, and VA-3 four-laned between Fredericksburg and Culpeper -- I see a variety of ways I would get from Mount Vernon to Charlottesville.

[Stephane Dumas]

A bit off-topic but didn't I-66 HOT lanes was originally planned to begins/ends at Antioch Road near the US-15 interchange?

And is there some long-range plans to extend the HOT lanes further west?

[Beltway]

A bit off-topic but didn't I-66 HOT lanes was originally planned to begins/ends at Antioch Road near the US-15 interchange?
And is there some long-range plans to extend the HOT lanes further west?

The HOT lanes begin/end at the US-29 interchange.

I-66 has 4 general purpose lanes each way extending west to the US-15 Haymarket interchange.

Current AADT on that section is 70 thousand. I don't think additional capacity is needed any time soon. But there is ample median space to add 2 lanes each way.

[1995hoo]

A bit off-topic but didn't I-66 HOT lanes was originally planned to begins/ends at Antioch Road near the US-15 interchange?

And is there some long-range plans to extend the HOT lanes further west?

That is certainly more on-topic than the digression about I-95, which is my fault for starting it.

[ElishaGOtis]

A bit off-topic but didn't I-66 HOT lanes was originally planned to begins/ends at Antioch Road near the US-15 interchange?
And is there some long-range plans to extend the HOT lanes further west?

The HOT lanes begin/end at the US-29 interchange.

I-66 has 4 general purpose lanes each way extending west to the US-15 Haymarket interchange.

Current AADT on that section is 70 thousand. I don't think additional capacity is needed any time soon. But there is ample median space to add 2 lanes each way.

Does WMATA have any interest in keeping 44-ish-feet of that space open? Metro extensions ain't happening out there in my lifetime, but I'm wondering if they at least have a vested interest in keeping the ROW open in the exceedingly-unlikely chance they do extend the Orange Line (or something else idk) that far.