Monday, March 4, 2013
The high-tech system will span 34 miles of roadway along I-66, from the District of Columbia to Haymarket, Va.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Governor Bob McDonnell announced a new high-tech system coming to Virginia's I-66 that is meant to help reduce congestion through better communication with drivers and improved traffic flow via lane control signs. The system, known as Active Traffic Management (ATM), is relatively new to American roadways, though it has been used on highways throughout Europe. "Conditions on I-66 in Northern Virginia demand the deployment of this innovative technology and commuters will benefit from improved safety and increased communication during incidents and congestion," Governor Bob McDonnell said in a press release. ATM systems continuously monitor traffic with high-tech tools like vehicle-…
Friday, February 22, 2013
Survey results also reveal barriers preventing commuters from using the lanes, which opened in November 2012.
More than 80 percent of I-495 Express Lanes users reported reduced trip times, according to the results of a survey of more than 1,700 frequent Capital Beltway drivers conducted by Express Lanes management. Eighty-two percent of users of the Express Lanes polled in the survey “estimated a real time savings on their trip,” according to the results released Wednesday. The lanes opened in November 2012 on the Virginia side of the Beltway promising easier but pricier trips to commuters. All drivers must have an E-ZPass or E-ZPass FlexSM to pay the fares to use the Express Lanes. The survey also revealed some of the barriers preventing people from using the lanes: 46 percent of travelers polled said they don’t have an E-ZPass. Forty-one percent…
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The board will meet at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the McLean Community Center.
The McLean Citizens Association Board - the community's version of "town council" - will discuss several topics at its monthly board meeting Wednesday, including a letter directed to the chairman of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Sean Connaughton, regarding the impending Route 7 widening project. The state is currently in the design phase of widening a portion of Route 7 from four lanes to six lanes. "The McLean Citizens Association (MCA) supports the need for a comprehensive integrated analysis of all projects and studies related to the Route 7 corridor, including mass-transit alternatives, in order to address concerns about congestion, pollution, and economic loss in the long-term. The MCA believes that coordination and …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Dranesville District supervisor John Foust says county was better prepared to handle Sandy.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust's McLean home has no power Tuesday morning, but he is praising Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Dominion for improving response times to Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast on Monday evening. He said the response is markedly better than the response to the June 29 derecho, which knocked out power to hundreds of thousands in the D.C. metro region. "I think the response has been significantly better than after the derecho - the preparation and the response," Foust said. Communicating storm-related information with the public and warning residents about dangers was drastically better, too, he said. "The county has done an outstanding job getting out statuses and …
Friday, September 14, 2012
Abi Lerner heads to Virginia Department of Transportation.
Abi Lerner, Alexandria's deputy director of transportation, will be departing from the city's Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. He is leaving to become the Virginia Department of Transportation's new Tysons Corner coordinator, according to a T&ES spokeswoman. Sandra Marks, division chief for transportation planning, will fill in during the interim, until the position is filled.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
New transponder explained for the 495 HOT Lanes.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials announced Wednesday the launch of the EZ-Pass Flex transponder, a device that will allow high-occupancy vehicles to ride for free when the Interstate 495 Express Lanes open later this year. The beltway express lanes, which will run from the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) exit to the I-95/395/495 interchange (the “mixing bowl”) will be free for all vehicles with three or more occupants. Drivers wishing to take advantage of the quicker lanes will have to purchase an EZ-Pass Flex before they can use the lanes. “Carpooling is an important priority in the commonwealth of Virginia,” said Charles Kilpatrick, VDOT’s chief deputy commissioner, encouraging all commuters who plan to use the lanes…
Landscaping is set to begin in Spring 2013.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is beginning to formulate a $5 million landscaping plan that will restore about 500 acres that were cleared of trees as the construction of the I-495 Express Lanes Project nears completion. The plan covers the entire 14-mile Express Lanes Project corridor from Springfield to just north of the Dulles Toll Road in McLean. For McLean residents in particular, the expansion of the Lewinsville Bridge over 495 deforested a large number of trees within the McLean Hamlet and Timberly Lane neighborhoods. Hillsides flanking 495 were cleared of trees so that the Beltway could be widened to accommodate the new Express Lanes built down the middle of 495. According to Virginia Megaprojects officials, …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Traffic alerts in McLean from July 9 through 15
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Monday, July 9, 2012
This week's traffic travails throughout McLean and Tysons Corner brought to you by the simultaneous construction of the Express Lanes and the Metro line to Dulles. Full Closure of Westbound Interstate 66 Overnights Dulles Corridor Metrorail construction will implement a full closure of westbound I-66, between Route 267 and Route 7, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday. These closures are necessary to install acoustical barriers on the new Metrorail aerial guideway (flyover bridge) that crosses the highway. Traffic is not allowed to flow under active construction for public safety reasons. I-495 south from Exit 44, Georgetown Pike (Route 193) to Oak St. overpass - Three lanes closed Monday - Saturday nights for overhead sign and …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Bright red signs on Old Dominion Drive in McLean
New detour signs have been erected on major McLean roads because of Saturday's closing of Old Chesterbrook Road, to alert drivers that the bridge carrying the road over Pimmitt Run is being replaced. The new signs appeared Saturday morning when Old Chesterbrook closed to guide motorists away from the closed road. "Old Dominion Road is the detour route for traffic that would normally use Old Chesterbrook Road," a spokesperson for VDOT explained. "The sign is to let users who take the detour know they are on the correct route." Old Chesterbrook Road, a favorite shortcut to Washington, D. C. will reopen Sept. 4. While the bridge is closed, signs will direct drivers to detour via Westmoreland Street, Chain Bridge Road, Old Dominion Drive and…
Thursday, June 14, 2012
You can find comprehensive travel information via VDOT's 511 service on your phone, the web and now as an app for iOS and Android devices.
Last month, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced that their 511 service is now available for Android phones and tablets and Apple's iPhones and iPads as a free app. The service was previously available via phone calls to the 511 number and on the web at www.511virginia.org. As we all too well know, summertime travel on Virginia roads can be unpredictable. There are of course some known knowns, to paraphrase a former Secretary of Defense, such as I-95 South will be a parking lot every Friday from 2 p.m. onward. But when you encounter stalled traffic on a late evening mid-week as you try to run errands or when you find out too late that there are going to be periodic lane closures on the beltway to accommodate …
Don Frickel
12:38 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Don't forget Timberly which usually waits the longest for restoration (Crossover and Old Gate). more ›