Construction begins on $1 billion I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia

Surrounded by elected officials, transportation engineers, and dignitaries, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to begin construction of the I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The project will build 29 miles (46.7kms) of express lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax County, and will connect the I-95 Express Lanes to the I-495 Express Lanes currently under construction to provide a seamless network of new lanes to reduce
August 8, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Surrounded by elected officials, transportation engineers, and dignitaries, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell held a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to begin construction of the I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The project will build 29 miles (46.7kms) of express lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax County, and will connect the I-95 Express Lanes to the I-495 Express Lanes currently under construction to provide a seamless network of new lanes to reduce congestion, encourage carpooling, and providing public transportation options never before available.

"For the first time, commuters will have transportation choices they never had before when traveling the I-95 corridor,” said Governor McDonnell. "This innovative public-private partnership will result in express lanes for carpoolers, sluggers and buses, while at the same time providing new transportation choices for all motorists to reach their destinations faster."

The project is being delivered by a public-private partnership between Virginia Department of Transportation (VDoT) and 95 Express Lanes LLC (a joint venture between 600 Transurban Drive and 2248 Fluor Enterprises). This allows the commonwealth to leverage private-sector resources to build the nearly US$1 billion project. The private sector is providing $854 million in funding while VDoT's contribution is $71 million. VDoT will maintain ownership of I-95 and oversee 95 Express' activities.

When completed, there will be two new High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95, extending nine miles from Dumfries to Garrisonville Road. North of Dumfries, existing I-95 HOV lanes will be improved for six miles from Route 234 to Prince William County Parkway. North of the parkway, I-95 HOV lanes will be expanded from two to three lanes for 14 miles to Edsall Road as well as connect to the soon-to-be-completed 495 Express Lanes. The project also includes expanding and adding commuter parking lots. The project is expected to open to traffic in early 2015.

Vehicles with three or more people will be able to ride the express lanes for free.

Vehicles with one to two people can ride the express lanes for a variable toll or travel in the general purpose lanes for free. Tolls will be electronically collected using E-ZPass, eliminating the need for toll booths.

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