I-66 Tolls In Opposite Direction Proposed By State Lawmakers

RICHMOND, VA—As state lawmakers consider options to tackle the high tolls on Interstate 66, one proposal suggests commuters going in the opposite direction during rush hour should pay them.

This approach means commuters heading westbound during the morning toll hours and eastbound during the evening toll hours would pay tolls too, WUSA's Peggy Fox first reported. The approach means commuters coming from DC and Maryland to work in Maryland would bear the burden in addition to Virginia commuters. Granted, it would also impact residents living and working in Virginia that commute westbound.

"If you live in Fairfax or Loudoun or even Fauquier and come in, you're paying the toll in the morning, you pay the toll in the afternoon," Virginia Delegate Tim Hugo, who represents parts of Northern Virginia, told WUSA. "If you live in Arlington and going out and going to Fairfax or to Ballston or even out west, you don't have to pay that toll. What we're just trying to do is make it fair for everybody."

The pair of bills in the House and Senate would also not let tolls of more than $200 be charged to a commuter per month and reduce tolling hours from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. eastbound and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. westbound.

Deneen Gaynor, who lives in Maryland and commutes to Virginia for work, told WUSA, "It’s already a really long commute from Maryland having to go through the traffic on 395 and 66. It has been a blessing to not have tolls. I wouldn't be able to afford to come to work, especially with it being so far and how much gas it takes to get here."

The toll prices change every six minutes based on congestion. Virginia Department of Transportation officials have said the high toll prices are working to encourage commuters to use alternate forms of transportation.

With tolls 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. Solo drivers are charged tolls Monday-Friday 5:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. for all eastbound lanes and 3 p.m.-7 p.m. for westbound lanes. Anyone carpooling with an E-Z Pass Flex set to HOV-2 does not pay a toll.

The tolls went into effect in December.

Image via VDOT