I-66 HOV Ramps to Open Off-Peak for Non-HOV Traffic

Beginning two weeks from today, Feb. 28th at 10 a.m., drivers heading west on I-66 will be able to take advantage of HOV-only ramps at Stringfellow Road and Monument Drive during off-peak hours, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

“This is a great Valentine’s Day for commuters along the I-66 corridor,” said Congressman Gerry Connolly, who has worked for several years on getting the ramps opened to non-HOV traffic, first as chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and later as a member of Congress representing the 11th District.

VDOT crews were set to install a series of new overhead signs on westbound I-66 over several nights beginning Sunday. The final cost to open the ramps, including the new signs and installation is about $200,000, according to VDOT.

Currently, the Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road ramps are open only to HOV-2 traffic eastbound from 5:30-9:30 a.m. and westbound from 3-7 p.m. The ramps are closed to traffic during off-peak hours and weekends.

Beginning Feb. 28th, the ramps will be open to all traffic except during HOV hours. New overhead digital message signs will alert drivers as to when the exit ramps are OPEN, CLOSED or HOV-ONLY. Traffic signs and signals at the top of the exit ramps have been upgraded and traffic signals near the interchanges will be retimed to accommodate traffic.

According to VDOT, opening the ramps to all traffic during non-HOV hours will:

• Improve travel times and air quality;
• Provide alternate routes for motorists avoiding the construction work zone at Fairfax County Parkway and Fair Lakes where the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is building an interchange through 2013; and
• Give buses and motorists direct access to the Stringfellow Road park-and-ride lot.

The change has been a long time coming. The Federal Highway Administration turned down a request by Connolly and the board of supervisors during the Bush administration.

After Connolly was elected to Congress, he worked with Board Chairman Sharon Bulova and the current Board of Supervisors to revisit the issue.  Last May, Connolly wrote to Ray Lahood, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transporation, urging him to approve opening the two ramps. In August the Federal Highway Administrator responded favorably in a letter to Connolly.

“This is a victory for Northern Virginia commuters,” Connolly said in August after receiving confirmation from FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez that the I-66 ramp changes would take place as soon as planning was completed and signage was installed.

 In Connolly's May 26th letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Connolly said opening the HOV ramps to non-HOV traffic during non-rush-hour periods “is a common sense approach to improving the traffic flow in the I-66 corridor.  As you know, congestion frequently occurs outside of peak hours along I-66, so improving traffic flow at all times of day is important to my constituents.”

In pushing for the change, Connolly said: “It is nonsensical to close the HOV access lanes on I-66 during off-peak hours.”  Connolly said the change will reduce congestion on local roads in the surrounding area because it will provide more direct access to I-66.  Opening the ramps during off-peak periods will allow traffic to enter and exit I-66 at all times, unlike one-way HOV ramps on I-395, so there is no need to coordinate direction of traffic flow onto or off of the ramps.” 

In the letter to Connolly, the federal officials confirmed that they understood the “importance” of this issue to drivers in the I-66 corridor.

Connolly praised the FHWA and VDOT for working together and reaching a decision that will benefit Northern Virginia commuters.

VDOT traffic engineers project that up to 5,800 vehicles a day will use the Stringfellow Road ramp and 2,400 vehicles a day will use the Monument Drive ramp.

Gov. Bob McDonnell also offered praise for getting the lanes open. "I want to recognize Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez for his leadership and personal involvement in opening these ramps," he said. "He played a critical role in advancing this important project for Northern Virginia. VDOT worked closely with Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and many elected officials from the area to advance this concept through the necessary environmental and regulatory approvals."