95 Express Lanes Construction Shifts into High Gear, Drivers Face Worst of the Headaches

The first layers of new pavement for the 95 Express Lanes Project are on the ground. And with them comes a mean season for summer drivers.

New asphalt lies in the median of Interstate 95 at Quantico and in northern Stafford County, where there once was no road. It’s part of what will be 29 miles of new highway, or the tolled 95 Express Lanes, that when complete in late 2014, will seamlessly connect with similar lanes on the Capital Beltway from Springfield to Dulles Toll Road.

Construction of the new lanes, which will extend from Va. 610 in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Alexandria when complete, is at its height. But despite traffic headaches along the construction zone now, Transportation officials maintain all of this work will literally pave the way to a smoother commute in the very near next year.

“We’ve always said 2013 is going to be the toughest year for the project while we work on the new bridges, ramps, and flyovers,” said Virginia Megaprojects spokesman Steve Titunik. “Once we get those done, things will be easier on motorists.”

A major project

Work on the lanes began swiftly last summer when, after years of wrangling with elected officials, and working out agreements with the private firm that will operate and maintain the lanes Transubran, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell gave the green light for construction.

Of the four segments of the project, the first 8.3-mile segment of the project from Va. 610 in Stafford to Va. 234 in Dumfries, will include seven new bridges, and a new northbound slip ramp will be added to allow drivers access to the new express lanes just past Va. 610. And, probably the most impressive sight of the construction so far, two new flyovers are under construction — one at Joplin Road and the other at Va. 610 — will carry southbound traffic from the express lanes to the regular travel lanes of I-95 south.

When the nearly $1 billion project is complete, the lanes will still be reversible — meaning they will carry northbound traffic each morning to Alexandria and points north, and southbound traffic each afternoon — they’ll also allow single drivers to use the lanes at all times of the day provided they pay a electronic toll using an E-ZPass. Those riding in vehicles of three or more occupants will be able to ride free in the lanes, which will be tolled 24-hours a day. And, just like they do on express lanes on the Capital Beltway, tolls will vary per mile, will adjust with the volume of traffic on the road (the more cars in the express lanes the higher the toll will be), and will be collected by electronic transponders which will read look for an E-ZPass mounted to the windshield of a car and then automatically deduct the toll from a bank account.

Wider lanes north of Prince William Parkway

Of the four segments of the project, 75% of the lanes is existing roadway that for years has served as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. But they too are being improved.

While segment two, from Va. 234 to Prince William Parkway, will remain mostly the same width, segments three and four, from of Prince William Parkway to Edsall Road, will see the addition of a third lane, new slip ramps at Dale Boulevard, Prince William Parkway, and Lorton, and a new flyover constructed at Edsall Road.

There’s also major bridge work with the project, as this week crews are working on improving at bridge in the area of the Franconia-Springfield Parkway in Fairfax County, and, on the southern end of the project, still working on rebuilding a bridge that carries traffic on Telegraph Road over I-95 at Quantico Marine Corps Base.

As more people move into the region, this roadwork is long overdue.

“As this area continues to grow, and more cars on the roadways add more fuel to the fire, the better we provide a basket of transportation options, and improve services, the more choices people will have,” said Titunik.

Hopes for expanded transit options

The new lanes come with thousands of new commuter parking spaces at lots in Spotsylvania, Stafford, Prince William, and Fairfax counties. With the lanes expanded and catering to carpoolers, Titunik said hopes are that more people choose to ride buses, or form carpools instead of driving alone.

The entire 29-mile section of the 95 Express Lanes under construction is considered the “northern” section of the project. The “southern” half, which would extend the lanes from North Stafford to Spotsylvania County, could be years away.

Pushing back the bottleneck

With these new lanes, the bottleneck on southbound I-95 at Dumfries, where the HOV lanes now merge with the regular lanes — one of the worst bottlenecks in the Washington, D.C. area — will be pushed further south to Stafford. Planners say the flyover ramp at Va. 610, when finished, will allow traffic to re-enter the highway from the right side of the road as opposed to from the left, as it does now in Dumfries.

The new flyover ramp, however, will dump traffic onto the highway just before Va. 610, and that could cause some slowdowns as drivers try to merge. For those getting off the highway and onto Va. 610, there will be a continuous lane from the flyover ramp to the exit for Va. 610.

“The important thing to remember, overall, is that will not be the terminus of the project as there are plans to extend the lanes south to Spotsylvania,” said Titunik.

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