Area Drivers and the Express Lanes
September 25, 2015
Download this fact sheet to discover how all drivers are benefitting from the Express Lanes, learn how carpoolers are taking to the new travel option, and hear what customers are saying about the Lanes.
Commuting Costs in the D.C. Region
September 25, 2015
From the Express Lanes to Capital Bikeshare, to the VRE and Fairfax Connector, the D.C. region has it all when it comes to commuting options. Download this fact sheet to see some of the costs associated with commuting in the D.C. region.
Unpaid Tolls on the 495 Express Lanes
June 30, 2015
Purple Lane Striping Added to Select Express Lanes Entries
July 21, 2015
Drivers on the 495 and 95 Express Lanes might notice something new – purple lane striping added to select Express Lanes entries. The purple lane striping reinforces to drivers that they are about to enter the Express Lanes, reduces confusion by increasing the differentiation between the Express Lanes and the regular Capital Beltway and I-95 lanes and positively impacts overall driver safety.
You’ll see purple lane striping at the following entry locations:
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95 Express Lanes:
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Northbound:
- 95 Express Lanes entrance near Dumfries Road
- 95 Express Lanes entrance near Cardinal Drive
- 95 Express Lanes entrance near Franconia-Springfield Parkway
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Southbound:
- 95 Express Lanes entrance between Lorton Road and Route 123
- 95 Express Lanes entrance north of Edsall Road
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Northbound:
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495 Express Lanes:
- Northbound 495 Express Lanes entrance near I-95/395/495 interchange
- Regular Capital Beltway lanes between the southbound 495 Express Lanes exit and 95 Express Lanes entrance
Transurban Participating in Virginia Automated Corridors Initiative
June 8, 2015
Underscoring its commitment to innovation and sustainable transportation options, Transurban has partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and HERE, Nokia’s mapping business, on the Virginia Automated Corridors initiative. The new initiative aims to streamline the use of Virginia roads and state-of-the-art test facilities for automated-vehicle testing, certification and development.
Virginia Automated Corridors will allow testing of automated or self-driving vehicles on Virginia roads covering more than 70 miles of interstates and arterials in Northern Virginia.
Transurban will look at opportunities to utilize the 495 and 95 Express Lanes as testing facilities for automated-vehicle developers.
The technology solutions will be aimed to demonstrate possible future technologies that could improve safety, reduce congestion and improve the driving experience for customers.
Virginia Automated Corridors is still in the planning stages – no set timeline or start date has been announced.
For more information on the new initiative, please visit: https://governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/newsarticle?articleId=8526.
Transurban Extends First-Time Forgiveness Program’s Cap Retroactively for Unpaid Toll Cases
June 8, 2015
Alexandria, Va. – Transurban, the operator of the 495 and 95 Express Lanes, announced today that its First-Time Forgiveness program’s self-imposed cap on fees and penalties will be applied retroactively to individuals impacted before the program was put into place on October 27, 2014.
Although Virginia law prescribes violations with much higher penalties, Transurban is forgiving any penalties that individual customers currently owe that are in excess of $2,200, not including the cost of their missed tolls and court fees. Further, Transurban will provide individual customers with a refund for any penalties paid over this same amount.
“We are seeing tremendous results since the program was implemented last fall,” stated Nic Barr, Vice President of Operations at Transurban. “We have listened to our customers and are using their feedback to make improvements. Making the First-Time Forgiveness program’s cap on fees and penalties retroactive was the logical next step.”
More than 2,700 customers have benefited from the program in helping them avoid potential fees and civil penalties from the program’s inception to April 30, 2015. The vast majority of customers continue to avoid unpaid tolls by traveling with a properly mounted and funded E-ZPass. Approximately 96 percent of Express Lanes trips are paid or exempt at the time of travel with less than 0.1 percent of trips ending up in court.
“We will continue to look at how we can adjust our operations to meet the needs of travelers and expect to implement additional refinements over the coming months,” said Barr. “As a reminder, we ask any traveler who receives their first unpaid toll invoice to contact us immediately to see if they qualify for the program.”
Transurban will send letters to all impacted customers over the next week. In the meantime, customers should visit ExpressLanes.com for more information or call (855) 495-9777.
About the Express Lanes
The 495 and 95 Express Lanes operate on I-495/Capital Beltway and I-95 to provide drivers with faster and more predictable travel options in Northern Virginia. Together the 495 and 95 Express Lanes create a region-wide network of free-flowing lanes for nearly 40 miles from the Dulles Toll Road to Stafford County. Delivered through a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban, the Express Lanes give drivers reliable travel choices on two of northern Virginia’s most congested roadways. For more information, please visit ExpressLanes.com.
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Technology Pilot Program on the 495 Express Lanes
May 25, 2015
The 495 Express Lanes will test new technology in a pilot program with Xerox to potentially evaluate carpooling rates against the number of toll-free trips claimed as HOV-3+. The technology will be installed on May 26, 2015 and removed the second week in June 2015.
The equipment works by capturing anonymous images of vehicles traveling on the Express Lanes, automatically detecting the number of passengers and reporting the results in aggregate. Teams will then review the number of passengers in the images to determine the accuracy of the equipment's results. If the technology is accurate, teams will compare the findings to the overall reported carpooling rates on the Express Lanes.
To ensure our customers' privacy, the images will not contain license plates and all occupants' faces will be blurred. All images will be treated as strictly confidential and permanently purged at the end of the pilot program. Rules of the road on the Express Lanes will remain as normal during the pilot program.
Heavy Travel Expected on Express Lanes Memorial Day Weekend
May 20, 2015
Alexandria, Va.– Today,the 95 Express Lanes issued a reminder of critical Express Lanes travel tips as Memorial Day weekend and the summer travel season approach. Since opening approximately six months ago, the 95 Express Lanes have provided more than 550,000 customers with a faster, more predictable travel option, saving some customers more than two hours. But as drivers travel southbound on particularly heavy traffic days – when substantial delays on the regular lanes often extend to Fredericksburg – customers can experience delays as they exit to the stand-still or slow-moving regular lanes.
The 95 Express Lanes use on-road signs to alert customers of delays during peak travel times when traveling southbound through Prince William County:
- Express Lanes travelers will see an advisory sign in advance of the Quantico/Joplin Road exit, which alerts drivers of congestion ahead on the Lanes. The sign will indicate approximately how far ahead the delays begin, for example “CONGESTION 3 MILES AHEAD”
- Drivers can use the information on the sign to decide whether to exit the Lanes at Joplin or continue to Garrisonville Road
- If delays increase, signage before the Joplin Road exit will advise travelers to exit to the regular lanes using the message “EXIT NOW TO AVOID DELAYS”
“Before drivers hit the road for Memorial Day, we want to make sure they understand the tools we use to communicate about delays and their travel options in the southern section of the 95 Express Lanes,” said Nic Barr, Vice President, Operations, Transurban. “The information provided via on-road signs will help drivers make the best decision for their trip.”
In addition to watching for travel updates on advisory signage, drivers should keep the following tips in mind for the summer travel season:
- If possible, depart before 2 p.m. or after 8 p.m. on Fridays before holiday weekends and during the summer travel season
- Be aware that delays can occur on Thursday evenings as well as Saturday mornings before peak travel holidays
- Review current conditions and toll prices on the Lanes by checking the 95 Express Lanes traffic cameras and reviewing pricing signs on the Map your trip page
- Follow the Express Lanes on Twitter @VAExpressLanes for updates
- Riding with family and friends? If you have at least two passengers with you in your vehicle, don’t forget to put your E-ZPass® FlexSM in HOV mode for a toll-free trip
- Travel safely this summer by buckling up, obeying speed limits and avoiding distracted driving
About the Express Lanes
The 495 and 95 Express Lanes operate on the Capital Beltway and I-95 to provide drivers with faster and more predictable travel options in Northern Virginia. Together the 495 and 95 Express Lanes create a region-wide network of free-flowing lanes for more than 40 miles from the Dulles Toll Road to Stafford County. Delivered through a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban, the Express Lanes give drivers reliable travel choices on two of northern Virginia’s most congested roadways. For more information, please visit ExpressLanes.com.
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Benefits of 495 and 95 Express Lanes Extend to Regular Lanes as Drivers Experience Reduced Travel Time and Increased Lane Speeds
May 12, 2015
Alexandria, Va.– The 495 and 95 Express Lanes today announced that benefits of the Express Lanes extend to the regular Capital Beltway and I-95 lanes as well. According to data extracted from the University of Maryland’s Regional Integrated Transportation Information System, travelers in the regular lanes on the Capital Beltway and I-95 have experienced reduced travel times and faster speeds since the Express Lanes opened. As expected, drivers who take the Express Lanes experience significant travel time savings when they choose to take the Lanes.
“Northern Virginia is notorious for being one of the most congested areas in the country,” said Nic Barr, Vice President, Operations, Transurban. “The Express Lanes are helping to alleviate congestion and improve travel times, not just in the Express Lanes, but in the regular lanes as well. The improvements the Express Lanes have delivered to the entire corridor are a testament to why projects like the Express Lanes benefit all drivers – not just those who choose to take the Lanes.”
95 Express Lanes Benefits
According to the data, which compares peak travel times for each day of week from Garrisonville Road to Franconia Road in February 2014 versus February 2015, travelers in the regular I-95 northbound lanes have experienced reduced travel times since the 95 Express Lanes opened in December 2014.
|
Day of Week |
Average February 2014 Travel Time in Regular Lanes |
Average February 2015 Travel Time in Regular Lanes |
Average Time Savings for Drivers in Regular Lanes |
|
Monday |
49 minutes |
30 minutes |
19 minutes |
|
Tuesday |
47 minutes |
32 minutes |
15 minutes |
|
Wednesday |
40 minutes |
30 minutes |
10 minutes |
|
Thursday |
54 minutes |
31 minutes |
23 minutes |
|
Friday |
32 minutes |
26 minutes |
6 minutes |
The data also reveals that travelers in the northbound regular I-95 lanes experienced faster lane speeds at peak travel times in February 2015 than they did in February 2014.
|
Day of Week |
Average February 2014 Regular Lane Speeds |
Average February 2015 Regular Lane Speeds |
Average Speed Increase |
|
Monday |
33 mph |
54 mph |
21 mph |
|
Tuesday |
34 mph |
50 mph |
16 mph |
|
Wednesday |
40 mph |
53 mph |
13 mph |
|
Thursday |
30 mph |
51 mph |
21 mph |
|
Friday |
51 mph |
62 mph |
11 mph |
Travelers in the regular I-95 northbound lanes see the biggest improvement to travel times and lane speeds on Thursdays, saving an average of 23 minutes and traveling an average of 21 mph faster on a northbound trip from Garrisonville Road to Franconia Road.
Drivers who choose to take the 95 Express Lanes experience even more significant travel time savings. For a full-length peak southbound trip in February 2015, the maximum travel time savings realized was nearly 2.5 hours. Average and maximum travel time savings in the 95 Express Lanes in February 2015 are below:
|
Day of Week |
Average Travel Time Savings in February 2015 for 95 Express Lanes customers |
Maximum Travel Time Savings in February 2015 for 95 Express Lanes customers |
|
Monday |
33 minutes |
Nearly 2.5 hours |
|
Tuesday |
15 minutes |
1 hour |
|
Wednesday |
13 minutes |
30 minutes |
|
Thursday |
19 minutes |
Nearly 1 hour |
|
Friday |
33 minutes |
2 hours |
495 Express Lanes Benefits
According to the data, which compares peak travel times for each day of week on the Capital Beltway from I-95 to Route 267 in March 2012 – before the 495 Express Lanes opened – versus March 2014, travelers in the regular northbound lanes are experiencing reduced travel times.
|
Day of Week |
Average March 2012 Travel Time in Regular Lanes |
Average March 2014 Travel Time in Regular Lanes |
Average Time Savings for Drivers in Regular Lanes |
|
Monday |
25 minutes |
19 minutes |
6 minutes |
|
Tuesday |
27 minutes |
26 minutes |
1 minute |
|
Wednesday |
30 minutes |
19 minutes |
11 minutes |
|
Thursday |
37 minutes |
19 minutes |
18 minutes |
|
Friday |
19 minutes |
16 minutes |
3 minutes |
The data also reveals that travelers in the northbound regular Capital Beltway lanes experienced faster lane speeds at peak travel times in March 2014 than they did in March 2012.
|
Day of Week |
Average March 2012 Regular Lane Speeds |
Average March 2014 Regular Lane Speeds |
Average Speed Increase |
|
Monday |
32 mph |
42 mph |
10 mph |
|
Tuesday |
29 mph |
31 mph |
2 mph |
|
Wednesday |
26 mph |
41 mph |
15 mph |
|
Thursday |
21 mph |
41 mph |
20 mph |
|
Friday |
41 mph |
49 mph |
8 mph |
All data regarding road travel times and speeds is from the University of Maryland’s Regional Integrated Transportation Information System, an automated data sharing, dissemination and archiving system.
About the Express Lanes
The 495 and 95 Express Lanes operate on the Capital Beltway and I-95 to provide drivers with faster and more predictable travel options in Northern Virginia. Together the 495 and 95 Express Lanes create a region-wide network of free-flowing lanes for more than 40 miles from the Dulles Toll Road to Stafford County. Delivered through a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban, the Express Lanes give drivers reliable travel choices on two of northern Virginia’s most congested roadways. For more information, please visit ExpressLanes.com.
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A Look at Express Lanes Customers
May 6, 2015
The 495 and 95 Express Lanes continue to provide carpoolers, transit riders and toll-paying customers with faster and more predictable travel on two of the most congested roads in the Washington, D.C. area.
According to research conducted in February 2015*, customers are already praising the 95 Express Lanes and the benefits they provide, while the 495 Express Lanes continue to see new customers and have a loyal customer base that remains satisfied.
Download the infographic below to learn more about the research findings and Express Lanes customers.
* Based on an online survey conducted by KRC Research of 1,266 drivers in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
