Politics & Government

VDOT Announces HOT Lanes Plan

HOV/HOT Lanes to be added on 95 and 395

Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton announced Thursday that a new Interstate 95 project will help alleviate bottleneck traffic in Northern Virginia.

 The Virginia Department of Transportation will advance the high occupancy vehicle (HOV)/high occupany toll (HOT) lanes project in addition to constructing new HOV Ramp at the Mark Center site.

As a part of the project, VDOT will create 29 miles of HOV/HOT lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford up to the area of Edsall Road on I-395 in Fairax County.  The originally planned six miles of HOV/HOT lanes on I-395 in Alexandria or Arlington County won’t be built.

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Specifics of the project include:

  • Constructing two new reversible HOV/HOT lanes for nine miles from Route 610/Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Route 234 in Dumfries, where the existing HOV lanes begin.  
  • Widening the existing HOV lanes from two lanes to three lanes for 14 miles from the Prince William Parkway to approximately two miles north of the Springfield Interchange in the vicinity of Edsall Road.
  • Making improvements to the existing two HOV lanes for six miles from Route 234 to the Prince William Parkway. 
  • Adding new or improved access points in the areas of Garrisonville Road, Joplin Road, Prince William Parkway, Fairfax County Parkway, Franconia-Springfield Parkway, I-495 and in the vicinity of Edsall Road.

Citizen information meetings will be held in late 2011, said VDOT in a press release. Construction could begin as early as 2012 but will take up to three years to complete.

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President and CEO of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Rob Clapper commented on the VDOT announcement in a press release, stating that it is a “very welcome and positive step forward that will deliver major transportation improvements” to the area.

“The economic future of Northern Virginia is closely linked to the quality of our infrastructure. As gridlock intensifies in the region, we must act to improve our infrastructure and its ability to service commerce and the jobs created by commerce,” said Clapper in a release.


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