The I-95/395 HOV/Bus/HOT Lanes project would provide an innovative solution and bring new transportation choices to the Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg regions - benefiting carpoolers, transit riders, single-occupancy vehicle drivers, slugs, businesses and communities throughout the area.
The project will improve vital links between key employment, commercial and residential centers, ensuring that the interstate continues to support the economic vitality of the region.
It will create new public transportation and carpooling opportunities for people to leave their cars at home. And it will get motorists out of gridlock, so they can spend more time on the important things in life.
The project will expand the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95/395 from two to three lanes and extend two new lanes south to Massaponax. All of these lanes will become High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes - meaning buses and carpools with three or more people can continue to use the lanes for free, while non-HOV motorists can choose to pay a toll to access the lanes.
The reversible lanes provide maximum congestion relief in peak periods, carrying traffic into major employment areas during the morning rush hours and reversing to carry traffic to suburban areas in the evenings.
Toll prices will be based on demand. They will change throughout the day according to real-time traffic conditions to manage the number of cars in the HOT lanes and keep them congestion free - even during rush hour.
The I-95/395 HOV/Bus/HOT lanes will provide incentives for motorists to leave their cars at home and take advantage of the enhanced public transportation and carpooling options. Motorists will always have the choice to use the HOT lanes when they need a faster, more reliable trip or use use the regular I-95/395 lanes for free.
The I-95/395 project will produce excess revenue to help fund improved and expanded public transportation, such as new buses and Park & Ride facilities. The project will improve conditions on the existing HOV lanes with additional capacity, enhanced incident-response and enforcement efforts, as well as new design strategies aimed at improving existing bottlenecks.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is delivering this project in partnership with Fluor-Transurban. By partnering with the private sector, Virginia can move forward on this project much more quickly than would be possible using traditional funding methods—capitalizing on the best technology, financing methods, engineering and innovation.
I-95/395 Proposed Improvements At-A-Glance
Expanded and improved highway system for all motorists
Expansion of the existing HOV lanes from two lanes to three lanes
Extension of the existing HOV lanes 28 miles south to Massaponax
33 new entry and exit points to key activity and employment centers, such as Fort Belvoir, the Pentagon and Shirlington
Estimated $390 million in improvements to public transportation in the corridor, including new buses and bus routes
Approximately 3,000 new Park & Ride spaces
Enhancements to 12 existing bus stations
Design solutions to help alleviate existing bottlenecks on the HOV lanes
Enhanced incident response and enforcement
Why Improve I-95/395?
The Washington D.C. and Fredericksburg regions are experiencing severe traffic congestion and the I-95/395 is one of the most congested routes in the region.Beyond its impact on the region’s quality of life, traffic congestion is having a measurable negative effect on an otherwise strong regional economy. Researchers at George Mason University estimate that congestion costs the local economy nearly $5.5 billion a year, including delays, excess fuel, lost productivity, recruiting challenges and added costs for shipments and deliveries.
The I-95/395 improvements are critical to help Virginia meet the challenges of continued population growth and development of employment centers, including the major expansions of Fort Belvoir and Quantico Marine Base.
These improvements will protect and enhance the current HOV service to ensure sluggers and carpoolers can continue to enjoy the benefits of these services.