WASHINGTON — It’s been several years in the making, but on Monday a new HOV ramp that was built to ease traffic congestion will finally open — just in time for the afternoon rush.
After testing the gates and lights over the weekend, the new Interstate 395 HOV ramp at Seminary Road in Alexandria is set to open Monday afternoon, the Virginia Department of Transportation says. The ramp will reverse directions on the same schedule as the HOV lanes.
The purpose of the Seminary Road and I-395 HOV ramp is to help ease traffic congestion with people heading to and from the Mark Center, a Department of Defense facility that houses 6,400 employees.
These commuters will now have a direct connection from the I-395 HOV lanes to the Mark Center. It will allow carpoolers to stay on the HOV lanes all the way to the new HOV Seminary Road ramp. Before, they had to exit the HOV lanes and sit in traffic on the regular lanes for several miles before being able to take the Seminary Road exit.
This new ramp is only open to cars and trucks carrying three or more people — even during non-HOV hours — and it is open to buses.
The final piece of the $76 million project is a pedestrian bridge over I-395, expected to open next month.
