Express Lanes Discussion Redux
It’s been a while since I’ve written about the Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. As you may have seen over the past ten to fifteen years, Express Lanes in Northern Virginia now have become more the rule rather than the exception. I was curious about how successful (or not successful) Express Lanes have been in reducing congestion. Before I delve into the question, my immediate guess would be the results have been mixed. It depends on who you ask.
I know, that sounds like a cop out but seriously, name any policy decision that everyone agrees was a pure success or failure. It depends on where you are and how the Express Lanes have affected your day-to-day commuting. In attending various functions across northern Virginia over the past several years, I do hear people complain about the expense of traveling in the Express Lanes. You will always hear that. It seems to me that drivers will generally use them only when pressed for an appointment or an engagement from time to time. More regular users may be more wealthy individuals or those who simply deem it’s worth the money to drive on them. Time is money.
As far as contractors are concerned, it is helpful to be aware how each vehicle is tolled depending on the size of the truck. For more information on that, please see I-95 Express Lanes and I-66 Express Lanes. They are somewhat different in how vehicles are classified for each facility. During rush hour when travel on the Express Lanes would be more expensive, it may be difficult for some of the smaller independent contractors to compensate for using the Express Lanes. They have to seriously consider the benefits of times savings in using them when the General Purpose lanes are congested.
I-495 Express Lanes
I first discussed Express Lanes in a blog posted in 2017 “Are HOT Lanes the Way to Go?”. I had forgotten that I had called them “HOT lanes” at the time, or High Occupancy/Toll Lanes. The article was written when the I-495 Express Lanes opened on the western end of the Capital Beltway from Springfield to just north of the Dulles Toll Road, a fourteen-mile stretch. The question I asked then was “How have the express lanes worked?” My answer was, “it has had mixed results.” No surprise there.
Since then, the Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), also through Public/Private Partnerships, have added Express Lanes to the following highway infrastructure:
- I-95 running from Springfield to Stafford County/Fredericksburg,
- I-395 running from Springfield to the District of Columbia,
- I-66 both inside and outside of the Beltway, and
- I-495 extending from Tysons to just short of the American Legion Bridge (or the George Washington Memorial Parkway) which is scheduled to open late 2025.
The State of Maryland is considering adding Express Lanes on their side of the Beltway starting at American Legion Bridge and extending through I-270 up to Frederick, MD. There was considerable debate during Governor Hogan’s term and that has continued during Governor Moore’s time in office. Governor Hogan was supportive and while current Governor Moore favors adding managed lanes, he may but may not be as supportive of the Public/Private Partnership model as his predecessor. He may intend to focus on other parts of the transportation network in Maryland prioritizing commuter alternatives. It is safe to say that movement on the Maryland side, as far as extending Express Lanes from Virginia into Maryland, will not happen anytime soon.
Transportation officials are reviewing the outcome of the Express Lanes in Virginia as they consider extending Express Lanes from Springfield running east through Alexandria to the Route 210 interchange. There are skeptics who question the validity of adding Express Lanes saying few drivers will use them while the General-Purpose Lanes remain congested. I see their point, but the Express Lanes do provide an option that may not have been there before. Express Lanes also elevate the importance of promoting ridesharing opportunities for commuters (carpools, vanpools, buses) as these commuters who do rideshare will travel these lanes toll free.
It's clear we will never be able to reduce congestion completely even with Express Lanes in place. But as then Director of Megaprojects for VDOT Susan Shaw stated at a meeting last year and quoted in a October 5th Washington Post article, “Express lanes have proven effective in Northern Virginia and would bring relief to that stretch of the Beltway through additional lane capacity while adding travel choices. Virginia’s high-occupancy toll system gives free access to carpoolers and transit users. These [express lanes] do serve as a transit way for buses and carpools to provide services, congestion-free, and that’s a critical element of these systems.”
This is a crucial point. It may be more practical to provide ways for buses, carpools and vanpools to travel congestion free and toll free on Express Lanes since we don’t know if extending metro or building a new light-rail line to areas such as the National Harbor or Potomac Mills would be politically or financially viable at this time. Carpools and buses could provide faster and more reliable travel for riders. In addition, Express Lanes could be a more cost effective systems for transit operators who can get additional trips from the same number of buses and drivers. As Ms. Shaw was also quoted in that article, that without the Express Lanes “those vehicles are just sitting in traffic with everybody else.”
How does telework play in this discussion of the effectiveness of Express Lanes, especially since the Pandemic? I will say that the promotion of ridesharing opportunities discussed above will play an even more important role in helping to reduce congestion on the days in which workers elect to drive into work by themselves, especially if they had used a bus or a carpool pre-pandemic when they commuted into the office five-days a week.
I want to reference a quote from my earlier blog noted above. “A colleague once iterated to me that there are three primary purposes for Express Lanes: ‘the increase in highway capacity pays for itself, it provides higher quality service for those willing to pay for it and it encourages migration from SOV to MOV as a means of improving efficiency. The three purposes are not mutually exclusive’.” I still believe that to be the case today. Northern Virginia with its planning, construction, and management of Express Lanes infrastructure over the past decade is fast becoming a reference point for addressing traffic congestion in this way. Time will tell how successful it will be. And again, reaction will probably be mixed.