The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) presented its preferred design for Interstate 66 to the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The design includes expanding the highway to two toll lanes and three regular lanes in each direction between University Boulevard in Gainesville, Va., and the Capital Beltway.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board will vote on how to pay for the project in December and whether or not they will proceed under public-private partnership concession or pursue a publicly financed option.
With the implementation of the expanded I-66, toll lanes will be free for vehicles with three or more people in them, and, like the existing 95 and 495 Express Lanes, will operate with tolls that rise and fall based on the number of vehicles in the lanes.
VDOT is also planning to introduce a high occupancy toll plan during rush hours by 2017. In that stretch of the road, vehicles with two people inside will travel without paying tolls until the lanes switch to an HOV-3 model around 2020.
In addition to the changes on the highway, VDOT promises increased commuter bus service from new park and rides, some improvements for pedestrians, and a bike trail.
The plan leaves space in the middle of the highway for potential expansion of Metro or other transit options.
