"The Interstate 95 Express Lanes, a 29-mile road work zone in Northern Virginia, is the major highway construction project in the Washington region and among the longest in the nation, but it’s now half done and on schedule to be finished by late next year, Virginia officials say.

The high-occupancy toll lanes in the middle of I-95 should open to traffic in early 2015."

This entire concept is a sham. You think that it doesn't cost you money if you don't use it, well that's wrong. I found out that VDOT has to maintain it, like the snow removal. The same on 495 too. So far the express lanes has cost us about 25 million dollars in the last year alone on 495. Last Friday I see there is a public hearing for converting the left shoulder of 495 north and south into a travel lane so that the folks who use the express lanes will have a better transition and not have to sit in traffic. Oh and this will help keep the cost down so that you don't have to pay $9:50 to use the express lanes, as noted on WTOP's wed page this week.

Here's my questions WHERE ARE THE CONSERVATIVES ON THIS? WHY ARE WE SPENDING VIRGINIA TAX PAYER DOLLARS TO HELP A NON VIRGINIA COMPANY TO BE SUCCESFUL AND SEND THEIR PROFITS OUT OF THE COUNTRY?

ps. I love Kelly Flynn and she is a good person.

It appears OP left off the article, which I think is this one from the Post..

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/i-95-hot-lanes-halfway-done-as-beltway-counterpart-approaches-first-anniversary/2013/10/22/17ab6b5c-376d-11e3-80c6-7e6dd8d22d8f_story.html

And you call yourself Sprawl and Crawl!

Driving down 95, it looks like the lanes going south are ending with that flyover onto I-95 Southbound just north of rt 610. No exit ramp directly onto 610? The 95 Express Lanes southbound map shows the lanes exiting to I-95 prior to 610. There should be an exit directly to 610 before ending and dumping onto I-95 South. Not smart--it's going to be a bottleneck for that 1/2 mile of so.
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Can't wait to see the $50.00 tolls from Springfield to Garrisonville on the Express Lanes on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings during the summer, and the ensuing backups that will go all the way back to the Wilson bridge as travelers who use to take the I-95 HOV lanes for free refuse to pay the outrageous tolls! It will be a mega cluster fuck.

That guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can't wait to see the $50.00 tolls from
> Springfield to Garrisonville on the Express Lanes
> on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings during
> the summer, and the ensuing backups that will go
> all the way back to the Wilson bridge as travelers
> who use to take the I-95 HOV lanes for free refuse
> to pay the outrageous tolls! It will be a mega
> cluster fuck.

It's funny you mention Spotsylvania because the original project was to extend the HOV (well now HOT-3) lanes all the way to Massaponax (Exit 126). I believe the actual contract includes an "option" to do this later, depending upon traffic and funding.

I can't imagine how astronomical the toll would be from there to the Beltway.

This project just sucks. At least the 495 lanes added NEW capacity that didn't exist before. On 95, they're taking existing free lanes (outside of rush hour, anyone can use them for free - especially nice on weekends) and turning them into toll lanes. In addition, the 495 project included much-need infrastructure work, such as new bridges and upgraded interchanges (like the I-66 interchange). The 95 Express Lanes are going to be a disaster. I predict $20+ tolls to be commonplace.

That guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can't wait to see the $50.00 tolls from
> Springfield to Garrisonville on the Express Lanes
> on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings during
> the summer, and the ensuing backups that will go
> all the way back to the Wilson bridge as travelers
> who use to take the I-95 HOV lanes for free refuse
> to pay the outrageous tolls! It will be a mega
> cluster fuck.


Except for the people who pay the toll, and enjoy their drive at speed

KeepOnTruckin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That guy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can't wait to see the $50.00 tolls from
> > Springfield to Garrisonville on the Express
> Lanes
> > on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings
> during
> > the summer, and the ensuing backups that will
> go
> > all the way back to the Wilson bridge as
> travelers
> > who use to take the I-95 HOV lanes for free
> refuse
> > to pay the outrageous tolls! It will be a mega
> > cluster fuck.
>
>
> Except for the people who pay the toll, and enjoy
> their drive at speed


Until they have to merge back onto the regular lanes. they're going to be at a standstill on the HOT lanes trying to get off. Queueing theory, how does it fucking work?

Looks like the same deal on these as on 495. No tolls, ever! I'd only need it for Saturday morning trips to the beach and Sunday afternoon returns (are the lanes both directions like 495?). That exit back to the main lanes at the end down near 610 could suck...