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Learn the Lanes
Life doesn’t stop moving, so you shouldn’t either. The Express Lanes make driving simple, predictable and free depending on your style of traveling. That’s why our customers have driven more than a billion miles with us. All you need is an E-ZPass® or E-ZPass® Flex.
We can tell you all about the benefits of riding the more than 45 miles of our Express Lanes, but it’s best if you test drive them for yourself. Before hitting the road, here are several perks of driving with us:
Free travel options
All you need is three or more people in your car with your E-ZPass® Flex set to HOV mode. Not to mention, motorcycles ride toll-free and don’t need an E-ZPass®.
Comfortable cruising
Get where you need to go faster and safer on our Lanes. Enjoy a more predictable trip knowing you’ll be moving at highway speeds.
Safety service on standby
Help isn’t far behind with our Express Assist safety service patrol. It’s our way of lending a helping hand if you run into some bumps while driving on the Express Lanes. You can count on Express Assist to arrive on average in less than 10 minutes to help you out.
New interchanges to choose from
We’ve made improvements along the Beltway, I-395 and I-95 to pave the way for easier driving with more exit options for our customers. View all of your interchange options when driving the Express Lanes.
How dynamic pricing works
The Express Lanes give drivers the option for quicker traveling. While this comes with a price tag (unless you qualify for free travel – more on that under “Travel for free”), it also manages free-flowing travel. This is made possible by our dynamic pricing system.
It’s all about supply and demand
That means we’re able to maintain free-flowing travel by basing toll prices on the number of cars on the road. Don’t forget, we have many entry and exit points, so you can make the call on how long you’d like to travel along the Express Lanes.
Stay up to date on pricing
We’ll keep you in the loop on the rates of the road with overhead signs. And even before hitting the road, you can plug your entry and exit points into the Express Lanes mobile app or on our Map your trip page for an approximate cost of your trip.
Travel for free
1 + 2 = Free
Hop in the pool, the driving is great. Whether you’re slugging or in a vanpool or carpool, all you need is 3 or more people to drive the Express Lanes for free. If you have a headcount of 3 or more in your car, you can ride the Express Lanes for free at any time with your E-ZPass® Flex set to HOV ON.
Play fair or you pay the fare
You should only set your E-ZPass® to HOV ON if you have 3 or more people in your car. Claiming to be HOV when you're not can increase toll prices for drivers who are paying and playing fair.
If you don't have 3 in the car you have to pay a toll. Depending on the type of E-ZPass® Flex you have, set your Flex so HOV ON is covered or the line connects to HOV OFF.
Virginia State Police troopers can issue tickets of up to $1,000 to drivers who say they are HOV when they are not. Or, camera technology on the Lanes can spot HOV trips and make sure there are at least 3 people in your car. If there aren’t, charges can apply.
Tips for 395 Express Lanes
If you exit the 395 Express Lanes at the Pentagon or Pentagon City to drop off carpool passengers, you can get back on the Lanes at Eads Street and go to D.C. for free, even if it’s just you in the car. But, you have to get right back on the Lanes and remember to put your Flex in toll mode so a Virginia State Police trooper doesn’t stop you.
A bus load of free travel
Buses already equipped with an E-ZPass® welcome passengers on board for the price of a standard bus fare.
Moving on motorcycles
You don’t need an E-ZPass® to take a trip with us, but if you already have one in place on your motorcycle, we still won’t charge you a toll.
Express Lanes signage
Seeing purple signs? That means you’re heading in the direction of our Express Lanes. The purple signs with the E-ZPass® logo and "EXPRESS ONLY" share:
Where to go
The rules of the road
Road conditions
Weather alerts
95 and 395 Express Lanes pricing signs
The 95 and 395 Express Lanes have multiple pricing zones and decision points for drivers. The pricing signs before a 95 and 395 Express Lanes entrance show the cost to travel to a maximum of three upcoming exits. When you enter the 95 or 395 Express Lanes, you lock in your toll rate until you see another pricing sign along your drive. When you see a new 95 or 395 Express Lanes sign, you can decide if you want to pay the toll to keep on traveling or exit onto the regular lanes.
495 Express Lanes pricing signs
You will see pricing signs before all entrances to the 495 Express Lanes. The signs show current toll prices for up to three 495 Express Lanes exits from where you enter. Here’s the signage breakdown:
The first and second exits displayed on the signs share the cost to travel to 2 popular destinations from your entry point
The third exit displayed on the signs will show the cost to travel to the farthest point you can travel to in the 495 Express Lanes from that entry point
Riding the reversible Lanes
The 95 and 395 Express Lanes are reversible. That means cars will be able to drive in either direction depending on the day and time of day.
A simple way to remember which direction our Lanes are heading? They go with the traffic flow during the morning and evening commutes. They point north in the morning to help many of our customers heading into D.C. and then point south in the evening for their return trips.
Tips for a safe trip
Before heading out on the reversible 95 and 395 Express Lanes, here’s what you need to know:
Keep an eye out for on-road signs since some entry points close or open before others
If the gates at entry points are up, you’re good to go
For your own safety, don’t enter or exit an access point that’s closed or is about to close
Construction at night
We’re working on the 95 Express Lanes at night so we don’t hold up drivers traveling at peak times. During these late hours, gate transition times will temporarily increase. We’ll return to a normal gate transition schedule as we wrap up construction.
Approximate schedule
The 495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes run around the clock. Because the 95 and 395 Express Lanes are reversible, the northbound and southbound directions follow an approximate schedule.
We sometimes make temporary changes to the schedule for holidays, area events, or incidents. Check out the 95 and 395 Express Lanes status bar above to get the current direction or follow our Twitter account @VAExpressLanes to check for any changes.
When the 95 and 395 Express Lanes are open
Weekdays:
Closed for reversal – 1am to 2:30am (except on Monday)