With the region’s elected officials gathering at their annual retreat this Friday and Saturday, the Coalition for Smarter Growth continued to urge reform of the region’s transportation priorities.
A national poll of 2001 voters (90% of whom are drivers) released last week by Transportation for America revealed that two-thirds of Americans know highway expansions don’t cure traffic. Sixty-seven percent of American voters polled agreed that widening highways attract more people to drive, which creates more traffic in the long run, defeating the stated purpose for countless road expansion projects across the country.
In short, the public understands that “induced demand” is real, even if they are not aware of the term itself. Today, when officials in the DC region are planning for at least 900 more lane miles of highway and arterial road expansion and amid the ongoing debate over high-occupancy toll lanes for 495/270 in Maryland and 495 through Alexandria, the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) urged officials to reconsider these plans. “CSG’s Induced Demand fact sheet for local, regional, and state officials – released today – makes clear the failures of road expansion,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“Induced demand is the widely documented phenomenon in which widening major roads and highways results in more driving (vehicle miles traveled) that generally cancels out any congestion-reduction benefits in as little as five to ten years,” said Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG and author of the fact sheet which draws upon numerous national and international studies and includes local DC area examples.
“Unfortunately, elected officials in the DC region continue to propose over 900 lane miles of major road expansion and continue to ignore the reality that it won’t work,” said Schwartz. “They will end up wasting billions of tax dollars and make our quality of life worse, not better.”
The Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board is currently developing its Visualize 2050 regional “constrained” long-range transportation plan1 (the existing 2045 plan includes 900 lane miles in road expansion), and in Northern Virginia right now, counties and cities are submitting project applications for funding through the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.
CSG has previously shown in its “On the Wrong Road” report that the NVTAuthority’s “unconstrained” Transaction 2050 plan would add 1000 lane miles of roads in Northern Virginia alone and induce growth in driving at 1.5 to 3 times the rate of population growth in the outer suburbs. The NVTAuthority has allocated over half of its regional funding to road capacity expansion projects, even though the agency’s own Technology Strategic Plan acknowledges the reality of induced demand.
Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Editors note: Potomac Local News aims to share opinions on issues of local importance from a diverse range of residents across all our communities. If you’ve recently spoken at a Board of County Supervisors meeting, send us a typed copy of your remarks for publication to [email protected].
"During the single lane closure between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m., the 95 Express Lanes will be traveling southbound. The Lanes are regularly closed between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. on weeknights for southbound to northbound reversal. When the reversal is complete, the entry points near Courthouse Road and near Garrisonville Road will remain closed until 4 a.m. The southern most entry point into the 95 Express Lanes during this time will be near Dumfries Road."
"Travelers are reminded to avoid distractions, reduce speeds, and stay alert for signage directing traffic."
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Press release: "Bolstering a relationship begun during the company’s clothing drive last winter, I-66 Express Mobility Partners (EMP) presented a check of $5000 to Prince William-based Boxes of Basics at a ceremony this morning at the not-for-profit organization’s offices in Manassas."
"The donation merits EMP the status of Silver Sponsor for 2023 and furthers Boxes of Basics’ mission of providing essentials – including clothing, school supplies, and personal hygiene items – to under-served children across Prince William County."
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“During the single lane closure between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m., the 95 Express Lanes will be traveling southbound. The Lanes are regularly closed between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. on weeknights for southbound to northbound reversal. When the reversal is complete, the entry points near Courthouse Road and near Garrisonville Road will remain closed until 4 a.m. The southern most entry point into the 95 Express Lanes during this time will be near Dumfries Road.”
“To make traveling through the I-95 corridor in Stafford County easier and faster, the Fredericksburg Extension (Fred Ex) will pick up where the 95 Express Lanes currently end and will extend 10 miles south near Fredericksburg, VA. The lengthened lanes will connect with the 395 Express Lanes to create a connected corridor spanning nearly 50 miles from the Fredericksburg area to the D.C. line.”
The Interstate 95 and 395 E-ZPass Express Lanes operators announced changes to the reversal schedule ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
Higher than-average traffic volumes are expected for the weekend.Thursday, May 25 and Friday, May 26: Mid-day reversal begins 30 minutes earlier at 10:30 a.m. Lanes open southbound by about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 27: Standard Saturday schedule. Lanes run southbound until mid-day reversal at 2 p.m. Lanes open northbound by about 4 p.m. Sunday, May 28: Standard Sunday schedule. Lanes run northbound, no reversal. Monday, May 29: Lanes run northbound, no reversal.Significant getaway traffic on I-95 is expected to begin as early as Wednesday, May 24. By taking the 95 Express Lanes, we anticipate drivers can save as many as 60 minutes.
This year, traffic will likely be heaviest on Thursday, May 25. If you’re headed south, the best times to travel are:
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The two southernmost entry points to the northbound 95 Express Lanes, near Courthouse Road and Garrisonville Road, will be closed to travelers on Tuesday, May 16, and again on Wednesday, May 17, between midnight and 4 a.m.
According to Transurban, which maintains the Express Lanes, the closures are necessary for overhead sign installation as part of the Fred Ex project. The I-95 Express Lanes are regularly closed between midnight and 2 a.m. on weeknights for southbound to northbound reversals.
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Officials cut the ribbon on the region's latest diverging diamond interchange that will open Monday, May 1, at Prince William Parkway and Balls Ford Road in Gainesville.
Politicians, engineers, and the businessmen and women behind the Insterstate 66 E-ZPass Express Lanes held a dedication ceremony on Thursday, April 28, 2023, for the $105 million project includes two new bridges, four lanes of traffic, and a pedestrian path over the four-lane Prince William Parkway near Interstate 66.
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A groundbreaking ceremony signaled the start of work on a $54 million, seven-story parking garage near Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge.
The garage will sit in an area once earmarked for a Minor League Baseball stadium built eventually in Fredericksburg in 2019. The garage will serve as a transit hub in eastern Prince William County, replacing the nearby OmniRide transit center as a central bus transfer point.
Officials said that a soon-to-be-built ramp from the Interstate 95 E-ZPass Express to Opitz Boulevard would provide easy access to the garage.
Work on the new garage comes after union drivers at OmniRide ended a month-long strike, leaving commuters who rely on the bus to get them to and from Washington, D.C., without a ride.
Workers ended the strike after OmniRide agreed to pay them $12 million more over four years.
More in a press release:
The new tolled lanes, dubbed "FredEx," will open to drivers later this year. Large dump trucks can enter and exit work zones during construction, traveling slower.
The Virginia Department of Transportation issued the advisory as the spring and summer travel seasons heat up. Over the winter, VDOT opened a new bridge that carries northbound I-95 drivers over the Rappahannock River
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I-95 Northbound
Exit 133 (Route 17)
Monday - Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Daytime single lane closure at mile markers 134 - 135 for 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project.
