Showing posts with label High-occupancy vehicle lane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High-occupancy vehicle lane. Show all posts

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Launches Plan to Help Fix I-66

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(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
25-mile project would include new express lanes, rapid bus service, park and-ride network

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe  announced a plan to transform traffic-choked Interstate 66 into a multi-modal facility with express lanes, rapid bus service and a park-and-ride network from the Capital Beltway to Haymarket.

“Interstate 66 is broken. Commuters are stuck in traffic, limited in the travel choices they can make and unable to predict how long their trip will take on any given day,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Giving Virginians more choices and a better, safer travel experience on I-66 is one of my top priorities, and today I am proud to announce the beginning of that effort.”

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne continued, “Over the last couple of months the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has worked closely with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships (OTP3) and Fairfax and Prince William counties to devise a plan that will reduce congestion on I-66 by increasing capacity and giving travelers more choices. Today we kick off 17 months of rigorous environmental study and robust community involvement. By the end of 2016 our plan is to complete environmental work, identify funding sources, receive federal approval, and move forward on a plan to turn I-66 into the efficient, multi-modal corridor that Virginia’s economy needs.”

Under the proposed plan I-66 would be improved to provide:
·       Three regular lanes in each direction;
·       Two express lanes in each direction (the existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane would be converted to an express lane and one new express lane would be constructed);
·       High-frequency bus service with predictable travel times; and,
·       Direct access between the express lanes and new or expanded commuter lots.
As on the 495 Express Lanes and soon-to-open 95 Express Lanes, tolls would be congestion-based and motorists would have the choice of driving free in the regular lanes or paying a toll to use the express lanes. Carpools of three or more persons and buses would ride free. The current HOV-2 requirement would be raised to HOV-3 to be consistent with the region’s Constrained Long Range Plan which calls for HOV-3 by 2020. HOV-3 on I-66 would also match the occupancy requirement on 495 and 95.

The full scope of improvements, which will be refined over the coming months, is estimated to cost between $2 and $3 billion.

The Tier 2 Environmental Assessment will evaluate site-specific conditions and potential effects the proposed improvements would have on air quality, noise, neighborhoods, parks, recreation areas, historic properties, wetlands and streams. The proposed improvements will not preclude the addition of Metro, light rail or bus rapid transit within the right of way on I-66 in the future.
In November 2013, the Federal Highway Administration approved the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement with a Record of Decision. Also last year, 19 private-sector firms offered recommendations for solutions to improve Interstate 66 in response to a Request for Information (RFI) issued by OTP3. The RFI sought innovative and creative solutions to ease the congested I-66 corridor from the Capital Beltway to Route 15 in Haymarket, with an emphasis on providing a multi-modal solution and minimizing right of way impacts.
More information on the I-66 Corridor Improvement Project is available here.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Governor Bob McDonnell Announces 95 Express Lanes Construction Reaches Mid-Point

English: An example of a collector/express tra...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
 On-Track for Completion in Late 2014; Will Open to Traffic in Early 2015
Large Steel Operations Scheduled to be Complete by End of Year

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that construction of the I-95 Express Lanes project is halfway complete and on-schedule to be completed by late 2014. The 95 Express Lanes will open to traffic in early 2015.  Since breaking ground in August 2012, significant progress has been made on building new bridges, ramps, and lanes throughout the entire 29-mile Express Lanes corridor, which spans from I-395 near Edsall Road in Fairfax County to I-95 near Route 610/Garrisonville Road in Stafford County, Va.

In the coming weeks, crews will complete the last major steel lifts within the project corridor, including beams for the future flyover ramp across I-95 near Garrisonville Road in mid-October and the future flyover ramp across I-395 near Edsall Road in early November.  Since starting construction of nine new bridges for the Express Lanes this past March, crews have placed more than 100 steel beams.  A local disadvantaged business enterprise, Interlock Steelworkers, Inc., is performing the steel operations for the project, exemplifying VDOT’s and its partners’ commitment to providing opportunities to small and disadvantaged businesses in the local area.  As crews complete these steel operations, drivers can expect fewer full closures and detours of I-95 during the Express Lanes’ final year of construction.

                Speaking about this progress, Governor McDonnell remarked, “The I-95 Express Lanes are another example of how we’re using smart public-private partnerships to build critically needed transportation infrastructure in Virginia. Our administration has been committed to utilizing every means available to get new roads and rail built all across the state, because a modern transportation system is crucial to economic growth and job creation. I look forward to the completion of this project, and the shorter commutes Virginians will enjoy as a result.”

“We appreciate the patience the traveling public has shown during the last year of heavy construction on I-395/I-95 in Northern Virginia,” commented Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton.  “As shown by the progress achieved in just one year, VDOT and its 95 Express Lanes partners are committed to delivering faster and more predictable travel on the I-95 corridor in record time.” 

Crews also are scheduled to complete the majority of new paving that must occur throughout the future Express Lanes alignment by late 2013 – placing nearly half a million tons of asphalt along I-95.  The completion of paving will provide drivers with smoother and safer travel lanes, more than a year before the Express Lanes are slated to open.  The paving also allows workers to shift traffic within the HOV lanes, which is necessary to complete the new Express Lanes.

The Express Lanes construction remains in full swing throughout 2014, and drivers should expect continued traffic impacts including day and nighttime lane closures on I-95, weekend closures of the HOV lanes, limited shoulder access, and continued truck traffic entering and exiting the work zones.  Motorists are urged to visit Vamegaprojects.com for the latest construction updates and traffic information.
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