Skip to main content

Transurban survey shows the benefits of express lanes

A survey from toll operator Transurban finds that the Virginia Express Lanes have reduced travel times and increased lane speeds, including the main lanes. According to data extracted from the University of Maryland’s Regional Integrated Transportation Information System, drivers 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 sav
May 15, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
A survey from toll operator 600 Transurban finds that the Virginia Express Lanes have reduced travel times and increased lane speeds, including the main lanes.

According to data extracted from the University of Maryland’s Regional Integrated Transportation Information System, drivers 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.”

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, drivers in the regular I-95 northbound lanes have experienced reduced travel times since the 95 Express Lanes opened in December 2014.

The data also reveals that drivers in the northbound regular I-95 lanes experienced faster lane speeds at peak travel times in February 2015 than they did in February 2014.

Drivers 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 travelling 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 realised was nearly 2.5 hours.

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, drivers in the regular northbound lanes are experiencing reduced travel times.

The data also reveals that drivers in the northbound regular Capital Beltway lanes experienced faster lane speeds at peak travel times in March 2014 than they did in March 2012.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Los Angeles Express Lanes links multiple modes of transportation
    January 25, 2012
    The Big Apple's loss is the City of Angels's gain, according to Ken Philmus
  • Cycling in London grows by ten per cent
    February 2, 2015
    London’s cycling revolution accelerated last year, with 2014 seeing new records for usage of the capital’s cycle hire scheme and overall cycling on the Transport for London (TfL) road network. Across the TfL road network, London’s main roads, cycling levels in quarter 3 of 2014/15 (14 September to 6 December) were ten per cent higher than in the same quarter the previous year and the highest since records began in 2000. It was the fifth record quarter in a row. By the end of 2014/15, TfL forecasts a 12 p
  • Success of Kuala Lumpur's dual purpose tunnel
    September 12, 2012
    Malaysia’s capital boasts a unique piece of infrastructure; a combined stormwater and motorway tunnel, the longest multi-purpose tunnel in the world. Kuala Lumpur’s Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart) was conceived as a project under the Malaysian Federal Government to alleviate the flooding problem in the city centre. Although a booming city and the nerve centre for Malaysia’s economy, KL was built along the flood plains of the Klang River and, since its earliest days has been subjected to floodi
  • Travel times halve for tolling converts
    August 5, 2013
    The Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver is a prime example of how the latest ITS systems enable new infrastructures to be built and paid for while still providing additional user benefits. Vancouver has 2.2 million inhabitants and, like so many major cities, is divided into two by a river, the Frazer river. This combination makes Vancouver the second most congested city in North America and the most congested in Canada. Through the middle of the city runs the Trans-Canadian Highway 1 which crosses the Frazer Riv