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

  • ITS benefits escape public
    June 8, 2015
    John Kendall considers the public’s awareness of the benefits of ITS. While the results of developing ITS technology may be clear to readers of ITS International, there is far less evidence that drivers have any appreciation of what the technology is doing for them. So how aware are drivers of the developments that are designed to make their journeys less congested and safer?
  • I-80 Smart Corridor sets the ITS standard for California's Bay Area
    March 23, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at California’s ‘smartest’ road which will open this spring to counter congestion and accidents on one of the Bay Area’s busiest interstates. Interstate 80 (I-80) is one of the busiest roads in the San Francisco Bay area with up to 270,000 vehicles using the corridor every day. The section between the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett and the Bay Bridge not only suffers congestion during the working week but also at weekends. Traditional remedies such as building additional lanes (there are al
  • I-80 Smart Corridor sets the ITS standard for California's Bay Area
    March 23, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at California’s ‘smartest’ road which will open this spring to counter congestion and accidents on one of the Bay Area’s busiest interstates. Interstate 80 (I-80) is one of the busiest roads in the San Francisco Bay area with up to 270,000 vehicles using the corridor every day. The section between the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett and the Bay Bridge not only suffers congestion during the working week but also at weekends. Traditional remedies such as building additional lanes (there are al
  • Camera technology a flexible and cost-effective option
    June 7, 2012
    Perceptions of machine vision being an expensive solution are being challenged by developments in both core technologies and ancillaries. Here, Jason Barnes and David Crawford look at the latest developments in the sector. A notable aspect of machine vision is the flexibility it offers in terms of how and how much data is passed around a network. With smart cameras, processing capabilities at the front end mean that only that which is valid need be communicated back to a central processor of any descripti