No one looks forward to a trip on Interstate 66. Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe has vowed to sort things out outside the Beltway. Now the Virginia Department of Transportation is taking extraordinary measures to relieve the maddening pressure on I-66 inside the Beltway during rush hours.
As soon as mid-November, VDOT will launch the Bus-on-Shoulder program, which will allow buses to use the shoulder as a travel lane if the regular lanes bog down during the morning and afternoon commutes, The Washington Post reported. In order for buses to use the shoulder during the pilot program, traffic speeds on I-66 would have to drop below 35 miles per hour. Buses that opt to use the shoulder would have to keep their speed at 25 miles per hour.
The pilot program will run for one year and be available to authorized transit buses only. VDOT has designated four sections of the interstate inside the Beltway where shoulder travel can happen safely. They are:
- Eastbound from the end of the existing bus-onshoulder operation on VA 267 to the I-66 merge eastbound.
- Eastbound from the Route 29 Overpass at the Spout Run Parkway to North Nash Street
- Westbound from North Nash Street to the Route 29 Overpass at Spout Run Pkwy
- Westbound from the Fairfax Drive on ramp near Glebe Road to North Sycamore Street
