WASHINGTON — A multi-million-dollar project is expected to bring relief to chronically congested Interstate 66 later this year even amid talk about proposed toll lanes.
In 2013, the Virginia Department of Transportation committed $38.6 million to improving traffic flow between Arlington and Gainesville. Construction for the I-66 Active Traffic Management System is well underway, and VDOT expects the upgrades to be fully-functional by early fall.
Drivers are accustomed to green arrows and red Xs above the shoulder lane in Vienna. When the project is completed, lane control signs will span all lanes every half mile between the Capital Beltway and Centreville.
VDOT’s Kamal Suliman says drivers will benefit from the extra guidance provided by the system.
“It will manage incidents by providing direction to motorists on a lane-by-lane basis,” says Suliman.
Between U.S. 50 and the Beltway, Suliman says that VDOT operators won’t be as encumbered when opening the auxiliary shoulder lane to through traffic as congestion develops.
“This project added some technology to be able to monitor the shoulder on a continuous basis. So when we have a need for opening it, we don’t have to spend a lot of time making sure that there are no obstructions on it,” says Suliman.
Suliman says this is good news for drivers who use I-66 at any time of the day. Since delays are common on weekends and outside of rush hours, crews will be able to quickly add extra capacity.
When accidents occur, the lane control signs will alert drivers in advance of lane blockage. If the shoulder lane is not affected by the crash, crews will be able to offer it to drivers.
“We can pretty quickly replace a blocked lane with the shoulder [lane] which was a challenge for us before because we had to be sure that the shoulder was clear. Now, with the additional technology that we are adding, we will be able to constantly monitor the condition of that shoulder and be able to open it if there are no obstructions on it.”
Electronic speed limit signs will aid in the flow of traffic past incidents.
The scope of the project extends as far east as the Roosevelt Bridge. The contractor, TransCore, also is upgrading the electronic ramp meters on the ramps in Arlington.
“It’s been exciting for me for the past two years working on this project, trying to get it done, so we can provide some relief and improve some of our ability to respond to the incidents that cause delays. Anything that we can do to improve our operations on I-66 — I know will help people a little bit. It might not solve the problem completely but every little bit helps.”
