WASHINGTON — With the I-95 Express Lanes due to open in early 2015, the operators have released information on how much you’ll pay to ride the toll lanes.
Transurban, which manages and develops toll roads, predicts that tolls on the 95 Express Lanes will range from 20 cents per-mile to 80 cents per-mile during heavy traffic in rush hours. In the last quarter, trips on the 495 Express Lanes have ranged from 20 cents per-mile to 85 cents per-mile.
“During rush hour, an average toll will be about $6 to $8 for a trip of about 10 to 12 miles,” says Transurban Spokesman Mike McGurk. “Like the 495 Express Lanes, we don’t think people will take the entire stretch on a regular basis.”
However, for those who would take the entire 29-mile trip from 610 in Stafford to Turkeycock Run in Alexandria, it could be sticker shock. During the rush hour, with heavy traffic, a trip along the road could cost $24 or more.
“The real decision will be when you’re driving on the road and you see that pricing sign and you’ve got to decide whether you’ll take the Express Lanes or the regular lanes,” McGurk says.
For the full 29-mile trip, customers won’t actually lock in a toll rate for the entire stretch. On the 495 Express Lanes, drivers lock in a toll rate for the entire 14-mile trip the moment they enter in Springfield or near the Dulles Toll Road.
On the 95 Express Lanes, a driver entering Stafford or Prince William can only lock in a toll rate to Heller Road, just north of Fairfax County Parkway. As drivers approach Heller Road, Transurban will post another toll rate for the final 13 miles to Turkeycock Run, just after Edsall Road. Drivers will then get a chance to remain on the toll road or exit without paying the new toll.
“For drivers, it’s really about making two decisions,” McGurk says. “You’ll make that decision when you first get on, but then you might make it again [near Fairfax County Parkway].
“But anytime you see a pricing sign,” he continues, “when you’re already in the 95 Express Lanes, you’ll always have a choice to take the next exit back to avoid paying the toll or staying in the lanes.”
Why charge Stafford and Prince William County commuters twice? Why not lock in the rate for the entire stretch, as is the case on the 495 Express Lanes?
“It goes back to managing congestion and making sure we can keep everyone moving at 65 mph for the 29-mile stretch,” McGurk says. “We also will have several exits and entry points for people to switch between the main lanes and the Express Lanes, unlike on the 495 Express Lanes. That makes it harder to predict because there could be an accident near an entry [slip] lane and a bunch of drivers will jump on the Express Lanes.”
Not everyone has to pay to ride the 95 Express Lanes.
Sluggers and other HOV vehicles will continue to be able to ride the 95 Express Lanes for free with an E-ZPass Flex, similar to the 495 Express Lanes. Drivers will need to switch the transponder into “HOV ON” mode to get a free trip.
This week, Virginia E-ZPass and Transurban officials went out to popular commuter lots at Horner Road in Woodbridge, Lorton, and Route 610 in Stafford to hand out information and sign up sluggers for an E-ZPass Flex.
“There are also signs to remind drivers, as [they’re] going in and coming out of the park and ride lots, that the Express Lanes are opening soon,” McGurk says. “So if you slug today, next time you get into the car, make sure to tell the driver to get an E-ZPass Flex to be ready on day one.”
VDOT still predicts the project will be completed at the end of the year, with the toll lanes opening to the public during the winter 2015.
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