Major Dulles Road Closures This Week, Through Jan. 12

According to VDOT, major Dulles area road closures continue this week (Jan. 7-12). As published in the Virginia Megaprojects newsletter:

• I-66 west from Exit 67, Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) to Exit 66, Leesburg Pike (Route 7) will close nightly through Saturday January 12, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for guide way work. Traffic will be directed to take Exit 67, Dulles Connector Rd. (Route 267) west, take Exit 19A, Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123) south, follow signs to I-495 south and take Exit 49, I-66 west.
• Leesburg Pike (Route 7) west from Spring Hill Road to Tyco Road will close Thursday night, January 10, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for station installation. Traffic will be directed to make a right onto Spring Hill Road, make a left onto Tyco Road and follow signs to Leesburg Pike (Route 7) west.
• Leesburg Pike (Route 7) east from Westwood Center Drive to Spring Hill Road will close Saturday night, January 12, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for station work. Traffic will be directed to make a left onto Tyco Road, make a right onto Spring Hill Road and follow signs to Leesburg Pike (Route 7) east.

View additional Dulles Metrorail Project closures for this week (PDF).

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VDOT Pilot Project Starts Today -- Will Display I-66 Travel Times

Beginning today, Monday, Aug. 22, motorists will see travel times displayed on Interstate 66 electronic message signs between the Capital Beltway and Gainesville.

If the Virginia Department of Transportation’s two-month pilot project is successful, it will be expanded to provide travel times to key destinations along other northern Virginia interstates and ultimately highways throughout the commonwealth.

Motorists will see travel times posted at three locations:

• Eastbound I-66, just east of Route 28, will display the travel time to I-495
• Westbound I-66, just west of Route 50, will display the travel time to Gainesville
• Westbound I-66, just west of Route 7100, will display the travel time to Gainesville

Travel times will be displayed weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

VDOT is using traffic data from Inrix and other sources to determine the travel times. Traffic controllers at the Public Safety Transportation Operations Center in Fairfax County will ensure the travel times are successfully relayed to the message signs and are accurately refreshed every five minutes.

Motorists can learn more about the pilot project and provide feedback on the display times at www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/travel_times.asp.

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HOV Hybrid Law Extended, But Hybrids on I-66 Capped

Drivers of hybrid vehicles with the required clean fuel license plates will continue to be able to use the Interstate 95, 395, 66 and Dulles Toll Road High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes until June 30, 2012, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. However, come July 1, 2011, there is an important change on I-66.

The new law states that only hybrid vehicles with clean fuel plates issued prior to July 1, 2011 will be permitted to use the I-66 HOV lanes during rush hours. Police will ticket any hybrid vehicle that does not have a clean fuel plate issued before July 1, 2011.

A similar law took effect on I-95 and I-395 five years ago – only hybrids with clean fuel plates issued before July 1, 2006 are permitted to use the I-95/395 HOV lanes during rush hours.

Beginning July 1, 2011, the Department of Motor Vehicles will issue a clean fuel license plate with a different design so that police can easily spot violators in the HOV lanes.

Delegate Thomas A. “Tag” Greason sponsored the one-year extension which was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor McDonnell last month.

In order for a hybrid vehicle to use Virginia’s HOV lanes during the morning and afternoon rush hours, the vehicle must have a clean special fuel plate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Not all hybrids qualify for clean fuel license plates, motorists should check the DMV Web site, www.dmvnow.com for an updated list of eligible hybrids.

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Another One Year Extension for HOV Plates in Virginia

According to the Washington Post, Virginia Gov. Robert F. Mc­Don­nell has signed the now-traditional, one-year extension of the temporary law allowing solo drivers to use the lanes meant for carpoolers as long as they have the proper clean fuel license plates.

"But there is an important difference this year: Drivers who want to take advantage of this legal end-run around the carpooling requirement to drive on Interstate 66 High Occupancy Vehicle lanes need to buy their hybrids and get the clean fuel tags by June 30. After that, they can still buy hybrids, but they’ll risk getting a ticket if they drive in the I-66 HOV lanes. Police look for the proper tags, not for the type of vehicle.

"This change in the I-66 rules that grandfathers in clean fuel license plates issued before a certain date and then cuts off newcomers is similar to a provision that took effect in 2006 regarding hybrid driving on the I-95/395 HOV lanes. That was a concession to the concerns of carpoolers and the Virginia Department of Transportation that hybrids with solo drivers were on their way to clogging the HOV lanes, diminishing the incentive to carpool for a faster trip.

The rules for clean fuel tags are online on the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Web site. The annual fee for clean-fuel plates is $25.

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I-66 Pavement Rehab Begins April 4

For Loudoun County commuters using I-66...

In April, the Virginia Department of Transportation begins a $48 million project to repair and resurface six and a half miles of badly deteriorated pavement on Interstate 66 between the Capital Beltway and Route 50 in Fairfax County.

According to a VDOT press release, to minimize impacts to motorists, all lane closures will take place at night — between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights. The project will be complete in the fall of 2012.

Beginning April 4, two of three lanes on eastbound I-66 will be closed weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. between the Beltway and Route 50.

Beginning Monday, April 18, the same closures will begin 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weeknights on westbound I-66 between the Beltway and Route 50. Crews will limit the work zones to about two miles at a time. The closures in both directions will continue Sunday through Thursday nights through November 2012, weather permitting.

Starting in late May, periodic overnight ramp closures on eastbound I-66 will also be scheduled as part of the pavement work. Ramp closures and detours will be announced by VDOT well in advance.

Motorists should expect delays overnight in this area, and consider using alternate routes such as Routes 50, 236 or 123. Overhead and portable message signs will alert motorists well in advance of the work zones to ensure adequate time to exit at alternate routes.

VDOT reports that crews will first remove and patch sections of the concrete pavement through late summer, then pave the surface with new asphalt. Fort Myer Construction Company is the contractor on the project.

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I-66 Being Studied for HOT/Toll Lanes

According to Toll Road News, Virginia secretary of transportation Sean Connaughton says I-66 is a "great candidate" for HOT/toll lanes, and he says the department has a team studying the concept. As soon as he was appointed secretary in the summer when the new Republican administration won office he directed the department to look at "HOT" or toll lanes, he says.

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