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North Stafford HOT lane still on schedule

Local group is updated on status of High Occupancy Toll lanes

Date published: 1/29/2008

By KELLY HANNON

North Stafford remains on track to get a single toll lane on Interstate 95 from Dumfries to Garrisonville by the end of 2010, according to a project timeline.

Fluor Virginia Inc. and Transurban (USA) Development want to build toll lanes along a 56-mile section of I-95 from the Pentagon to the Massaponax area.

If the project wins final approval from Virginia, the two-lane HOV corridor from the Pentagon to Dumfries will be expanded to three lanes by 2010.

Two new lanes will be constructed from Dumfries to the Massaponax area by the end of 2014.

The project has a northern section and southern section. The dividing line was originally where the lanes currently end, at Dumfries, but Stafford asked, and received, a nine-mile single lane extension to North Stafford in the northern half.

The single lane should help with afternoon traffic congestion at Dumfries.

Also, sections of HOT lanes could open in the Fredericksburg area before 2014, as they are finished, said Tim Young, Transurban project manager.

Young gave a presentation last night to the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional group of mostly elected officials that oversees transportation planning.

Fluor-Transurban has not signed a final agreement with the state yet. That agreement will govern the construction and management of HOT lanes.

Virginia signed an interim agreement with Fluor-Transurban to govern the study portion of the project, which is ongoing. Virginia split the cost of this work with the companies, spending roughly $26.8 million in public dollars.

Stafford Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer asked Young for specifics on the extension's design. Dudenhefer said it was important for the lane to end south of the State Route 610 exit, to avoid a traffic bottleneck north of the interchange. Also, Dudenhefer said a flyover was needed to carry exiting toll lane traffic directly to Route 610.

Young said Fluor-Transurban will be ready to talk about project specifics, such as design elements, in three to four weeks.

"We're not going anywhere until we've sat down with the locales and VDOT," Young said.

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission is concerned about the width of the toll lanes in the northern section. PRTC operates buses that travel I-95.

Fluor Virginia Inc. and Transurban (USA) Development want to build toll lanes along a 56-mile section of Interstate 95 from the Pentagon to the Massaponax area. The lanes will be called HOT lanes, which are High Occupancy Vehicle lanes that will also act as toll lanes, or High Occupancy Toll lanes. Vehicles with three or more occupants will always ride free, regardless of the time or day. But vehicles with one or two occupants can use the lanes, too, if they pay a toll. The two-lane HOV corridor from the Pentagon to Dumfries will be expanded to three lanes by 2010. Two new lanes will be constructed from Dumfries to the Massaponax area by the end of 2014. Tolls will not be set at a fixed rate. Traffic will be monitored 24 hours a day, and the tolls will rise and fall depending on the level of traffic. Tolls have to rise to a point where vehicles can maintain speeds of 55 mph. At rush hour, this could mean tolls of $1.60 a mile, according to one government estimate. Fluor-Transurban has predicted peak tolls around $1 a mile. Tolls will be collected using electronic transponder devices stored inside cars, such as EZ Pass. Fluor-Transurban has suggested using transponders with a switch, so motorists can alternate between riding for free as an "HOV" vehicle, or a paying vehicle with one or two people in the car. Infrared light may be used to target violators in toll lanes. The technology would be a tool for law enforcement officials who patrol the lanes. The system would pinpoint vehicles that lack the three-person minimum required for a free ride. Fluor-Transurban has said motorists would not notice the detection system.

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Date published: 1/29/2008

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