Archive: highways
Virginia Extending Shoulder Use on I-66
Virginia's traffic is worsening, and if the state can't build its way out of congestion, it can get more use out of the road it already has: The Virginia Department of Transportation this month will extend the hours during which drivers can spread out and use the I-66 shoulder lanes between the Capital Beltway and Route 50. The plan will add an hour of shoulder use in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, starting Aug. 25. Right now, morning use eastbound ends at 10 a.m. and afternoon use westbound starts at 3 p.m. These will be the new times: 5:30 to 11 a.m. eastbound; 2 to 8 p.m. westbound. VDOT also plans to open the shoulder during traffic incidents or when lanes are closed for road work. HOV-2 hours will stay the same: Eastbound, 5:30 to 9:30 a.m.; westbound, 3 to 7 p.m. This section of I-66 outside...
By | August 8, 2008; 06:39 AM ET | Comments (37)
New Beltway Ramp Opening
The Maryland State Highway Administration plans to open a new flyover ramp Friday morning from the Capital Beltway's inner loop to southbound Branch Avenue. Watch for variable message boards that will guide drivers through the new traffic pattern. Branch Avenue (Route 5) is one of the most heavily traveled commuter routes in Prince George's County. Near the Beltway, it averages more than 122,000 vehicles per day. The new ramp, which should be open by 5 a.m. Friday, was built to ease congestion and eliminate the difficult merge at the Branch Avenue/Beltway interchange. The ramp is part of a $52 million reconstruction of the interchange that began in March 2006 and is scheduled to be done by the end of this year....
By | July 31, 2008; 11:29 AM ET | Comments (1)
Getting Tix on I-66
Dear Dr. Gridlock: Is it legal for the police to impede traffic or bring it to a stop on an interstate highway merely to check for HOV compliance? That is basically what happened 29 May on westbound I-66 just inside the Beltway. Traffic was backed up for almost a mile with a helicopter hovering overhead. All indications were that a serious accident had happened up ahead. Instead, the delay was merely because approximately a dozen police officers in cars and motorcycles were on both sides of the highway enforcing the HOV restrictions! Bob Reinhardt Centreville It is legal for police to enforce the HOV rules and ticket violators on the spot. Virginia State Police don't use a helicopter. That probably was a news crew checking out the scene. HOV enforcement accounts for a big chunk of my mailbag, but I'd say most of the letters come from commuters who are...
By | June 3, 2008; 09:08 AM ET | Comments (0)
Overturned Truck Closes I-95 South Near Woodbridge
A truck overturned and caught fire early Wednesday afternoon, closing all lanes on southbound Interstate 95 near Route 123, according to washingtonpost.com's traffic data provider. All southbound lanes are blocked, and delays start at the beltway. Vehicles are getting by on the northbound side. Restrictions have been lifted on I-95 HOV lanes....
By Liz Heron | October 10, 2007; 03:39 PM ET | Comments (5)
Dulles Toll Cameras Questioned
Some drivers are raising concerns about the enforcement cameras on the Dulles Toll Road. The commonwealth started using them this year to snag motorists who went through the toll plazas without paying. Drivers who don't have E-ZPasses make two complaints: The cameras just don't work properly, photographing the vehicles' license plates for a violation notice when they've just paid; or they record them going through a lane that was supposed to have been staffed but wasn't, so they couldn't pay the toll and couldn't wait because other cars were right behind them. Who else has had this experience? Dear Dr. Gridlock: What does a driver do when a VDOT camera-enabled open toll lane malfunctions on Route 267? I use the Route 267 toll booths 40 times a month on my way to work in Reston. Sometimes a toll-booth's lane alarm is constantly ringing and the red-light continuously on even though...
By | May 7, 2007; 07:32 AM ET | Comments (53)
Va. To Use Toll Booth Cameras
In Virginia, the government can't use cameras to take pictures of red light runners. That's Big Brotherism, according to the General Assembly. But apparently it's okay to use cameras to catch toll jumpers. The Virginia Department of Transportation sent out a notice on Wednesday warning all that the cameras are being tested on the Dulles Toll Road, Powhite Parkway Extension near Richmond and the Coleman Bridge in Hampton Roads. Starting early next year, toll violation notices will be sent to motorists when their vehicles' images are captured by the cameras. Notices will state the date of the violation and will include a photo of the license plate taken at the time of the violation, VDOT said. Violators will be asked to pay the toll amount and will be assessed the toll plus a $25 administrative fee. There are appeals procedures to follow for cases of mistaken identity, sold or stolen...
By | November 30, 2006; 08:31 AM ET | Comments (0)
Freeway's Future Debated
The District's Department of Transportation expects that by the end of the month it will have a final version of the consultant's report on what to do with the Whitehurst Freeway, the elevated link between Georgetown and Foggy Bottom. But in the world of government planning, a final report is just the beginning. In fact, there have been at least four other studies of what to do with the freeway. At a D.C. Council committee hearing on Wednesday, committee chairman Carol Schwartz expressed her determination to make sure that the proposal to tear down the freeway does not advance to the next stage, a million dollar environmental impact study of the top alternatives presented in the consultant's study. For those commuters who use the Whitehurst to skirt Georgetown's congested streets, the only good alternative is a tunnel, but that would cost far more than it's worth. It's difficult to find...
By | November 17, 2006; 08:15 AM ET | Comments (0)
Big Improvement for Beltway Traffic
Maryland's State Highway Administration says it's attacking a major problem on the Capital Beltway's inner loop. It's widening the ramp that leads to southbound Wisconsin Avenue in Montgomery County. That stretch of the Beltway is notorious for congestion during the afternoon rush. Many drivers who work in Northern Virginia and live in Maryland or the District know what I'm talking about. The SHA says that more than 244,000 vehicles travel that stretch of the Beltway daily. The exit ramp for southbound Wisconsin is going to be widened to two lanes. Drivers will also see curb and gutter replacement, roadway patching, grinding and resurfacing and re-striping. The $654,000 project should be completed in the spring, the SHA says Some pain first, of course: To accommodate the work, the ramp will be narrowed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays. Watch for arrow boards, drums and temporary traffic signs in the work...
By | November 13, 2006; 03:46 PM ET | Comments (13)
I-66 Widening on Track
Motorists who have been monitoring the progress of the expansion work on I-66 expansion from Manassas to Gainesville keep asking when it will be completed. Ryan Hall, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, told me that it is on track to finish on time, at the end of October, and you can expect to see construction start in spring 2007 on the next phase of the widening, from the Route 234 Bypass to Route 29 in Gainesville. Two lanes will be added to I-66 in each direction, one regular and one HOV. The inside lane will be reserved for two-person carpools during peak periods. The median will be kept to accommodate barrier-separated HOV lanes or transit at some point in the future, Hall said....
By | September 15, 2006; 06:19 AM ET | Comments (12)
Dulles Greenway Tolls
The private group that owns the Dulles Greenway announced yesterday evening that it wants to raise tolls almost yearly between now and 2012, when the rush hour rate would be $4.80. That's a little more than $2 more than drivers pay now and would mean about $10 a day for commuters, which works out to about $2,500 a year. The Post did a poll about a year and a half ago that asked people whether they preferred tolls or taxes to pay for new transportation projects. By 2 to 1, respondents said they prefer tolls. But I wonder how long support for tolls will last as Maryland and Virginia move to build toll lanes on almost every major road in the region. People tend to be for tolls right up to the second that their route is tolled. That's when they realize that the math isn't on their side. Let's...
By Steven Ginsberg | July 20, 2006; 10:31 AM ET | Comments (0)
A New Kind of Traffic Report
The folks in Maryland announced that they are testing a new kind of traffic monitoring system that is supposed to tell drivers how long they'll be sitting on the highway. The $310,000 pilot program is on Interstate 70 in Howard and Baltimore counties and if it works, it'll be coming to a road near you sometime soon. The Maryland State Highway Administration and the University of Maryland at College Park have teamed up to put 10 roadside sensors on a 20-mile segment of eastbound I-70 between Route 27 and I-695. The sensors detect traffic speeds and volumes. As conditions change on I-70, estimated travel times to I-695 are automatically updated on five portable message signs. But wait, there's more. Not only does each sign tell drivers the estimated travel time between the sign and I-695, it also says what time the sign was last updated. State officials say that "this...
By Steven Ginsberg | June 13, 2006; 10:57 AM ET | Comments (0)
The Rantings of a Lunatic Mom
We all have our peeves with getting around this region, but we're also all used to it. We generally know where to go and what to anticipate -- District traffic circles excepted, of course. What we don't know is what it's like for an outsider to get around. That's where my mom comes in. She was here all last week, staying in Falls Church with my brother so she could see her grandkids. Her main travels were between Falls Church, Old Town and Adams Morgan, where I live. These are her rants, with more than a couple suggestions for VDOT and DDOT: DC drivers are low-rage, courteous, and understanding of the need to allow others to enter lanes, whether for merging or the not-so-rare last minute error. However, the last-minute-error situation is to be expected, as it is impossible to safely drive in DC and read all the signage. Routes...
By Steven Ginsberg | May 25, 2006; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (18)
