Tag: Interstate 95 HOT lanes
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Another Shot at Redistricting
by James A. Bacon So, the General Assembly is under the gun to redraw the boundaries of Virginia’s congressional districts, which most disinterested observers would agree are a travesty of democracy and desperately in need of a fix. While Republicans and Democrats justify their positions with lofty principles, few voters are under any illusion that either party…
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Coping with Risk in Highway Megaprojects
by James A. Bacon As Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne has had more time to dig into his job, he has developed an ever more nuanced appreciation of how things went wrong with the U.S. 460 Connector. There was more to the fiasco, which could cost the Commonwealth up to $300 million, than a simple failure to acquire…
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Highway Robbery
by James A. Bacon I’ve always considered Transurban, operator of the express lanes on the Interstate 495 and Interstate 95, to be a pretty savvy outfit. The company may have over-estimated traffic demand for its express lanes when deciding back in the mid-2000s to build the Northern Virginia toll operations, but corporate executives seemed highly professional in the…
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Express Lanes as Precursors to Ubiquitous Road Pricing
by James A. Bacon After years of anticipation, 95 Express Lanes opened its Interstate 95 HOT lane system to the public Sunday. Drivers get to use the lanes for free outside of rush hour, when the lanes remain restricted to high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs). Tolls will go into effect around the end of the month. The nearly…
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Dude, Where’re My Cars?
by James A. Bacon In 2008 the Washington Department of Transportation converted 10 miles of HOV lanes in the Seattle metro region to tolled HOT lanes. If the experiment was successful, the state planned to expand the HOT lane concept around the state. After four years of experience, the verdict is in: People aren’t willing…
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Full Throttle for I-95 Expressway Project
The McDonnell administration has entered into a comprehensive agreement with 95 Express Lanes LLC to build roughly 29 miles of express lanes on Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia. Construction will begin early next month and is scheduled for completion in late 2014. The I-95 express lanes will tie into the Capital Beltway express lanes already…
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Fast and Furious
by James A. Bacon The public-private partnership deals are coming fast and furious. The McDonnell administration announced a new one today, a $940 million agreement in principle with Fluor-Transurban to build, operate and maintain a 29-mile HOT/HOV lane project on Interstate 95 from the Springfield Bypass to Stafford County. “With HOT lanes on both the…