The pricing algorithms on Interstate 66 can only do so much to dissuade people from taking that route to lighten the traffic around the Washington D.C. area. What people really wanted was the “common sense” notion of another lane to drive in, and now they will be getting it.
On June 28, the widening of I-66 inside the Beltway in begin.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is beginning a two-year plus (emphasis on the plus) project that will add a four-mile-long third lane along the eastbound corridor between the Dulles Connector Road and Fairfax Drive. The project will also add a new bridge over Lee Highway on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail, providing direct access from eastbound I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro station by connecting two existing ramps at the Route 7 interchange.
The bridge and ramp connections are currently scheduled to be fully-operational in summer 2020, with the third lane to open in fall 2020.
The construction project will attempt to shorten commutes and address what VDOT calls a “chronic congestion point.” Right now, the number of lanes on I-66 is reduced from four to three beyond Route 267, and then from three to two beyond the exits for Lee Highway/Washington Boulevard.
According to the Washington Business Journal, the $85.7 million contract was awarded to a design and build team of Lane Construction and Rinker Design Associates in December.
Although the widening will assist traffic congestion along the four-mile stretch of road, eastbound I-66 will still provide only two lanes between Fairfax Drive and Rosslyn. Though, morning congestion on the Beltway is typically found farther to the west, according to VDOT.
Driving eastbound on I-66 inside the Beltway in the morning and heading westbound in the afternoon was previously restricted to vehicles that had at least two people in them. In 2017, VDOT opened the lane to all drivers, but single-passenger vehicles are now required to pay a toll to use the highway during rush hours. In April, the average price for round trips on I-66 was $14.13, per VDOT’s latest report, with toll prices skyrocketing to over $40 at times.
With the summer travel season already in full force, traffic congestion problems with continue to compound, leaving I-66 worse off before it gets better.
