Prince William County is about to get another corridor of high-occupancy toll lanes – this time cutting through Gainesville and Manassas.
A 9-mile section of the tolled, Interstate 66 Express Lanes are expected to open sometime this coming weekend, with the target opening on Saturday, Sept. 10, Virginia Department of Transportation officials announced late last week.
The exact opening date had not yet been announced as of Wednesday, Sept. 7, and will depend on final, weather-dependent preparations, according to a VDOT news release.
The newest stretch of toll lanes will span from U.S. 29 in Gainesville to Va. 28 in Centreville. The remaining 13 miles of Express Lanes, stretching between Va. 28 and Interstate 495, or the Capital Beltway, are scheduled to open in December 2022, the release said.
“We are pleased to join our 66 Express Lanes project partners in opening the first segment of one of Virginia’s largest megaprojects ahead of schedule,” VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich said in a statement.
“By opening the western segment of the new 66 Express Lanes early, we are able to start delivering congestion relief to I-66 travelers sooner than originally planned.”
Under construction since 2017, the “Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway” project is a $3.7 billion public-private partnership that included widening I-66 to five lanes in both directions from I-495 to the U.S. 29. Three lanes will remain free, while the two Express Lanes will be tolled 24 hours a day under a “dynamic” pricing system that fluctuates according to congestion, like the system already in place on Interstate 95.
Like on I-95, the two Express Lanes will be free to “high-occupancy vehicles,” commuter buses and motorcycles. On I-66, however, vehicles need only have two passengers to get a free ride in the Express Lanes – for now.
That will change to a minimum of three passengers in December when the full 22 miles of Express Lanes are scheduled to open.
At I-495, all five lanes connect to existing lanes that have been tolled according to the dynamic pricing system during peak rush hours since the project kicked off in 2017.
Drivers will be able to access the western end of the I-66 Express Lanes through a variety of entrance and exit points. Drivers traveling eastbound on I-66 will be able to merge onto the Express Lanes from the general-purpose lanes prior to U.S. 29 in Gainesville and by using a slip ramp prior to Va. 234 Business.
Drivers traveling westbound on I-66 will be able to access the Express Lanes from the general-purpose lanes prior to Va. 28, the release said.
Drivers will also have direct access from the new dedicated ramps at Va. 234 and Sudley Road, Va. 28, and Braddock and Walney roads.
Also, direct access will be available from two newer commuter parking lots: the University Boulevard lot near University Boulevard and U.S. 29 in Gainesville, which has been open since 2019, and new commuter lot at Century Park Drive and Va. 234 in Manassas dubbed the "Balls Ford commuter lot," which is scheduled to open in late 2022, according to VDOT.
Both lots were built as part of the overall “Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” project, which provided about $800 million in transportation improvements in the I-66 corridor that were separate from the actual roadway. In Prince William County, those projects included the new Balls Ford Road interchange, now under construction, and a new structured parking garage planned for the Virginia Railway Express station in Manassas Park. That parking garage is scheduled to open in 2024.
The overall Transform I-66 Outside the Beltway project includes a total of 4,000 park-and-ride spaces with access to the Express Lanes, new and enhanced commuter bus service, new ramps, improved interchanges and 11 miles of new bike and pedestrian trails.
Already, four commuter bus routes ferry commuters along the I-66 corridor from commuter parking lots in Haymarket, Gainesville and Manassas. Commuter bus rides from those lots to the Pentagon, downtown Washington, D.C. and Tysons Corner are operating on half-fare rates, which began when construction started and will remain in place until construction is complete.
The new HOT lanes are the result of a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and I-66 Express Mobility Partners, a consortium of investors that will maintain and operate the toll lanes under a 50-year contract.
Those who would like to ride the lanes for free – either under the current two-passenger limit or the eventual three-passenger limit – will need an E-Z Pass Flex tool device for their vehicles. Motorists can also pay online at Ride66Express.com, according to the VDOT news release.
“We are excited to open this first section of the 66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway, so that we can begin providing improved and more reliable travel for I-66 drivers,” Javier Gutierrez, chief executive officer for I-66 Express Mobility Partners, said in the news release.
“This is an important step in opening the new 66 Express Lanes, allowing customers to begin to experience the benefits that the new managed lanes and project enhancements will provide, and helping to ensure a great customer experience when the full corridor opens at the end of the year.”
Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com
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