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Faster commute to come at a cost

March 11, 2007 12:36 am

By KELLY HANNON

Drivers who want a congestion-free ride on Interstate 95 could have it as soon as 2010, if they're willing to pay as much as $1.60 a mile in peak traffic hours.

A public-private partnership to build toll lanes on Interstates 95 and 395 will use congestion pricing to keep vehicles moving. Tolls will adjust as demand changes.

"It will rise and fall based on the time of day or day of week," said Tim Young, development manager for Transurban (USA) Development Inc.

Here's how it works: A driver entering I-95 northbound at Massaponax will see an electronic sign displaying a toll price. The driver chooses to enter, locking in that rate for a segment of the interstate. At the next segment entrance, the driver will see another electronic sign with a new toll price.

Drivers can choose to pay the new rate and continue driving or exit and join regular traffic lanes.

Toll rates will increase as drivers move closer to Northern Virginia and Washington.

The companies building the lanes, Fluor Virginia Inc. and Transurban, say toll lanes give drivers a chance to skip traffic when they must arrive on time.

"It's about the need for some reliability--if you need to get home to relieve the baby sitter or you need to make it home to see your son or daughter in a ballgame," Young said.

Fluor-Transurban has not yet determined where segments will start and end.

It will not commit to a toll schedule, either.

Toll rates are hard to predict because congestion pricing is based on individual decisions and traffic flow, Young said.

The companies have floated one number. Motorists could pay about $1 per mile at peak periods in some segments, said Jennifer Aument, project spokeswoman.

But Ronald Kirby, director of transportation planning for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, did an analysis of the project in 2005. He expects that peak tolls will be closer to $1.60 a mile.

That's because the federal government will require toll lanes to be free-flowing, Kirby said, and at rush hour, especially inside the Capital Beltway, it could take that price to keep traffic moving.

"As you get farther north and more people join the stream going north, demand is going to get higher and higher," Kirby said.

Vehicles carrying three or more occupants can use the toll lanes for free.

Commuters who slug from the Fredericksburg area should benefit from toll lanes, Kirby said.

First, Fluor-Transurban is building three new Park and Ride lots between Dumfries and Massaponax, so there will be more places for slug lines to form.

Also, slugs will be a valuable commodity. Each one will be worth money.

"There's going to be a very strong incentive for drivers to continue picking up slugs," Kirby said.

Fluor-Transurban is also working on a combination toll and high-occupancy-vehicle lane project on the beltway, which could open up new destinations for Fredericksburg-area slugs. Now, most slug lines are near the I-95/395 corridor.

Car pools, van pools and buses that use existing HOV lanes should see a faster, improved trip after the new lanes open, Kirby said.

That's because the toll lanes will eliminate HOV violators. Today, state troopers must spot and pull over a violator. In toll lanes, any vehicle with one or two occupants must pay.

Also, hybrid vehicles must carry three occupants or pay the toll. Currently, hybrid vehicles purchased before July 1, 2006, are exempt from HOV passenger restrictions.

Finally, traffic flow will improve in regular lanes, too, at least initially, Kirby said.

"The counter is that over time, if you get more development in that corridor, that will begin to start eating up that new capacity," he said.

The lanes are not without detractors. Critics have dubbed similar toll lane projects in the United States "Lexus Lanes" and decry them as a way for high-income drivers to escape gridlock.

Fluor-Transurban rejects that label, pointing to data collected on California's State Route 91 Express Lanes, a 10-mile toll road in Los Angeles.

The California Department of Transportation found that only about 25 percent of motorists on the Express Lanes are in the top income bracket, while most users are low- and middle-income motorists.

Cars in the Express Lanes move at 60 mph at rush hour, while cars in general lanes travel at about 15 mph, the Federal Highway Administration found.

Drivers of all income groups will use HOT/HOV lanes, Kirby said.

"People who pay the tolls are not doing it on a regular basis. They're doing it on an occasional basis when they need to be somewhere on time," he said.

Tolls will be collected electronically, Aument said. Drivers will pay using EZ-Pass or Smart Tag. Both services require drivers to install small transponders in their cars. A transponder alerts the toll collection system whenever a vehicle enters the lanes.

The public will have a chance to learn more about toll lanes this spring.

Fluor-Transurban will organize a series of public hearings on the project's northern section, from Washington to Dumfries.

Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com