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Toll lane timing extended

Stafford officials not happy with plans for HOT lanes

Date published: 9/28/2006

By KELLY HANNON

Fredericksburg-area elected officials yesterday criticized the timing of a public-private project to build toll lanes on Interstate 95 from Washington to Massaponax.

The original proposal had lanes reaching Massaponax by 2011. But yesterday, a Virginia Department of Transportation presentation showed the work wouldn't be finished in the Fredericksburg area until 2014--if anything is ever built south of Dumfries.

Stafford Supervisor Bob Gibbons said this news will kill the project's public support.

"To go to the public and say they're not going to see relief until 2014? They're not going to accept it," Gibbons said. "You're going to have chaos on your hands."

Stafford officials were also angry that the northern portion of the project stops, for now, at Dumfries.

Stafford has told VDOT it wanted the northern portion to extend south to Courthouse Road or Centreport Parkway.

"That's pretty disingenuous, to ask our opinion if our opinion didn't matter," said Stafford Supervisor Pete Fields.

The debate over the project took place at a work session of the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which oversees transportation planning in the region.

The project's history traces back to 2003, when VDOT accepted private proposals to build additional lanes on I-95.

One team's proposal, Fluor Virginia and Transurban USA, was selected in December 2005. The companies plan to add a third lane to the current two-lane High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) corridor running from 14th Street in Washington to Dumfries. Cars with three or more occupants would still ride for free, but vehicles carrying one or two people could pay a toll.

Then, from Dumfries to Massaponax, it wants to build two combination HOV and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes.

But before any earth is moved, a series of federally required environmental studies must be done. Plus, Fluor/Transurban will conduct traffic and revenue studies. If the studies show the project is workable, VDOT could enter into negotiations with Fluor/Transurban for a comprehensive agreement that would hammer out the specifics of what would be built, where, and when.

This week, VDOT is wrapping up negotiations on an interim agreement with Fluor/Transurban, said Barbara Reese, VDOT's chief financial officer.

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Date published: 9/28/2006