Express Lanes USA

95 Express Lanes to open, temporarily free, on Sunday


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By Robert Thomson December 10 at 10:00 AM

The 95 Express Lanes in the middle of I-95 will add capacity to the congested highway. (Robert Thomson/The Washington Post)
The D.C. region’s drivers may see this as a bit of a holiday present: The 95 Express Lanes are set to open on Sunday along the project’s full 29 miles in Northern Virginia. But for the first two weeks, drivers can use them for free.
The road surface is ready, project spokesman Michael McGurk said Wednesday morning. But project managers want to continue testing the tolling equipment. They can do this, as they have been doing, without billing any of the motorists driving in the lanes, including those who have E-ZPass transponders.

That free-ride period should benefit both regular commuters and holiday getaway drivers, because it will add capacity to I-95 at no additional charge. The all-electronic tolling system is scheduled to take effect on Monday, Dec. 29.
However, it’s important for drivers to remember that during this transitional period following the lanes’ opening, today’s HOV3 rules remain in effect. During peak periods, drivers in the middle lanes of I-95/395 must have at least two other people aboard (HOV3) or risk getting a ticket. As is also the case today, the lanes are open to all drivers during the off-peak periods.
The decision to open Sunday with a transition period before tolling was made jointly by Transurban, the company that will operate the lanes, and by the Virginia Department of Transportation, McGurk said.
During my previous discussions with VDOT and Transurban officials, they had described an opening schedule similar to what drivers experienced two years ago with the Capital Beltway’s 495 Express Lanes, in which tolling operations began on Day One. The new plan for the 95 Express Lanes opening was based on the need for more testing of the all-electronic tolling equipment (no toll booths) and the desire to let drivers use the new lane space for the holidays, McGurk said.
While many drivers have told me they are concerned about the complexities of the tolling system, they still need to look sharp when driving during this free period. The northern portion of the express lanes, with a terminus just north of the Beltway, where I-95 continues toward the District as I-395, represents a widening of today’s HOV lane system. The southernmost portion consists of nine miles of new lanes.
On Sunday, all the new ramps and lanes are scheduled to open. Not all drivers will be familiar with this new alignment, and everyone will have to remember that the HOV rules remain in effect.
Once tolling takes effect on Dec. 29, all drivers in the express lanes will need to have a regular E-ZPass Flex or the E-ZPass Flex transponder, which can be switched in and out of the carpool setting.

Robert Thomson is The Washington Post’s “Dr. Gridlock.” He a