Hundreds Paid $40 Or More In I-66 Tolls Last Month: Report

In January, 461 drivers paid tolls of $40 or more on Interstate 66, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation's report on the second month of tolling inside the Beltway. But that's a small group among the 594,381 total trips during tolling hours.

On average, commuters paid $18.06 round trip for the full 10-mile stretch from the Beltway. Meanwhile 43 percent of drivers did not pay tolls, since they were carpooling with an E-Z Pass Flex set to HOV mode.

Tolls have climbed as high as $47 in late January, commuters expressed outrage over paying a steep price for the 10-mile stretch of I-66 inside the Beltway. The highest tolls have been in effect for at least six minutes during the morning rush hours. Tolls are in effect between 5:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. eastbound and 3 p.m.-7 p.m. westbound.

The dynamic toll prices change every few minutes to keep the average speed at 55 mph. The 495 and 95 Express Lanes are also dynamically priced, but regular lanes are available for free, unlike 66 during tolling hours. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

According to VDOT's January report, travel times were a few minutes better on 66 compared to last January, with drivers traveling 54.1 mph during morning commutes compared to 42.3 mph last year. Alternate routes saw minimal changes, although George Washington Memorial Parkway and Route 50 average travel times were up slightly in the morning. VDOT did not provide data on Route 123.

Here's the full breakdown of travel times on 66 and other major roads.

(Average travel times from January 2017 to January 2018)

Interstate 66

• Travel times decreased from 15.4 minutes to 11.7 minutes during morning rush hour
• Travel times decreased from 13.7 minutes to 10.9 minutes during evening rush hour

Route 50

• Travel times increased from 20.4 minutes to 21.1 minutes during morning rush hour
• Travel times decreased from 21.9 minutes to 21.8 minutes during evening rush hour

Route 29

• Travel times decreased from 25.9 minutes to 25.4 minutes during morning rush hour
• Travel times decreased from 29 minutes to 27 minutes during evening rush hour

Route 7

• Travel times decreased from 14 minutes to 13.7 minutes during morning rush hour
• Travel times decreased from 14.8 minutes to 13.7 minutes during evening rush hour

George Washington Memorial Parkway

• Travel times increased from 14.8 minutes to 16.2 minutes during morning rush hour.
• Travel times decreased from 14.3 minutes to 13.1 minutes during evening rush hour.

Before VDOT implemented the tolls in December 2017, only carpoolers could use I-66 during the HOV times. The tolls are meant to encourage commuters to utilize carpooling and Metro and other alternatives to driving solo.

Drivers are charged tolls to their E-Z Pass accounts when their cars pass under the new toll scanners. Drivers without E-Z pass are not permitted to use the road. If they do, a camera captures their license plate number and they will be billed with an extra charge.

Check real-time toll prices here.

Image via VDOT