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HOT Lanes
In 1995, Virginia pass the Public-Private Transportation Act (PPTA), which allows the state to enter into agreements with private entities to construct, improve, maintain and operate transportation facilities. Since then, Virginia has proposed or awarded several PPTA contracts, including:
 * Capital Beltway (I-495) HOT Lanes (Started, estimated completion: Late 2012 or 2013)
 * 14 miles of four HOV/HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway between the Springfield Interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road
 * I-95 / I-395 HOT Lanes (Under negotiation)
 * 56 miles from the Pentagon to Spotsylvania County

HOT Lanes are toll lanes operating alongside existing highway lanes. They provided drivers with a faster and more reliable travel option. Buses, carpools, motorcycles and emergency vehicles will be able to use the HOT lanes for free while drivers with fewer than three occupants can use the HOT lanes by paying a toll. The HOT lanes will use dynamic or congestion pricing to manage the number vehicles, and to keep them free-flowing. On average, vehicles are expected to be traveling 55 miles per hour, even during peak travel times.

The first HOT Lanes in the nation to open was the 91 Express Lanes project in Orange County, California, opening in December 1995. A computer adjusts the toll every six minutes, raising it if too many cars are on the highway, lowering it if the highway is underutilized. Even drivers who won't pay the toll appreciate the HOT lanes diverting traffic form the regular highway.

But many people are not happy about the proposed HOT lanes in Northern Virginia. In 2001, Maryland governor Parris N. Glendening (D) stopped a state study of similar proposals for the Maryland side of the Capital Beltway. The governor believed it would be unfair to low-income residents to allow affluent drivers to buy their way out of traffic.

In 2003, Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Philip A. Shucet stated that "single drivers could pay $1 to $4 to get off of the congested regular lanes." By 2008, the projected rush-hour toll had risen to between $5 and $6 for the average six mile trip. By comparison, the maximum toll on the 91 Express Lanes, which run 10 miles, is $10 for cars. The Beltway project will stretch 14 miles. And, according to VDOT's web site, "There will be no toll cap, as tolls must be able to increase to the level necessary to manage real-time traffic demand and keep the lanes congestion free."

Those who own property along the path of the Capital Beltway HOT Lanes are growing increasingly agitated with the project. Supervisor Sharon Bulova (D-Braddock), who represents a number of neighborhoods affected by the construction, said, "'Once the project is truly underway, eventually pretty much all the trees in the VDOT right of way are going to be cleared... I know I didn't have an appreciation of the extent of the clearing that was going to be done... Do they really need to clear every teeny piece of vegetation in their right of way?'"

VDOT History
from http://virginiadot.org/about/vdot_history.asp VDOT History Highlights


 * 1906: The General Assembly establishes the first State Highway Commission.
 * 1959: The state's first interstate segment is opened - the Interstate 95 bypass of Emporia.
 * 1969: Some Interstate 395 lanes in northern Virginia are reserved for express buses to encourage use of mass transit, setting a national precedent. Later, the lanes are opened to carpools.
 * 1992: The last segment of Virginia's interstate system opens. It's a section of Interstate 295 around Richmond and Petersburg.
 * 1995: The Dulles Greenway opens. It's the nation's first private toll road in more than 150 years.
 * 2002: A cooling economy and increased costs causes Gov. Mark R. Warner to call for a "realistic and achievable" plan for transportation improvements. The $10.1 billion program is cut by a third.
 * 2002: The Pocahontas Parkway, VDOT's first PPTA construction project, opens.
 * 2002: Virginia launchs the 511 traffic and travel information phone number.
 * 2004: VDOT’s Workers’ Memorial on Afton Mountain is dedicated.

More history
from http://virginiadot.org/about/vdot_history.asp VDOT History Highlights


 * 1906: The General Assembly establishes the first State Highway Commission.
 * 1959: The state's first interstate segment is opened - the Interstate 95 bypass of Emporia.
 * 1969: Some Interstate 395 lanes in northern Virginia are reserved for express buses to encourage use of mass transit, setting a national precedent. Later, the lanes are opened to carpools.
 * 1992: The last segment of Virginia's interstate system opens. It's a section of Interstate 295 around Richmond and Petersburg.
 * 1995: The Dulles Greenway opens. It's the nation's first private toll road in more than 150 years.
 * 2002: A cooling economy and increased costs causes Gov. Mark R. Warner to call for a "realistic and achievable" plan for transportation improvements. The $10.1 billion program is cut by a third.
 * 2002: The Pocahontas Parkway, VDOT's first PPTA construction project, opens.
 * 2002: Virginia launchs the 511 traffic and travel information phone number.
 * 2004: VDOT’s Workers’ Memorial on Afton Mountain is dedicated.