After two months of using the 495-Express Lanes between I-395 and Jones Branch Drive, I think that I have figured out how the pricing works. Basically the tolls are low when there are fewer cars and they increase as traffic increases. I can tell right away how bad the traffic will be based on the tolls.
When there is little or no traffic, the trip costs me about $2.00. On one of the bad snow days, it was almost $9.00. The rates are prominently displayed so that drivers can decide if they want to take the express lanes.
I don’t usually take the express lanes in the morning when the price is low because I know that traffic will not be backed up. I do take it when the price is high, even though sometimes I have a hard time justifying that it is worth paying the rates just to get there 10-15 minutes sooner. I guess it’s just the satisfaction of driving by the other drivers who are stuck in the regular lanes.
I do take the express lanes home every night no matter what the cost. I like the fact that there is a special lane for Jones Branch Drive so I can get right on the highway without going through Tysons. I also like the fact that there are only two lanes and that the speed limit is 65 MPH rather than 55 MPH.
Given the fact that the numbers show that fewer vehicles are using the lanes than anticipated, it would seem to make sense to lower the base rate. Initial projections were for 66,000 trips EACH DAY. The most daily trips only reached 47,303 – and that was just one day.
According to 495 Express Lanes spokesperson Mike McGurk, there is no current plan to reduce the rates. “The tolling varies by real-time traffic conditions. If demand for the Express Lanes is especially high at certain periods, the rates would increase more so than during periods of slower demand. An algorithm is used to determine toll rates. Toll rates are based on real-time traffic. The tolls could drop if the drop demand drops.”
While the express lanes were full the day when it snowed, there are times when there is hardly anybody in the lanes. I realize that construction bills have to be paid, but there must be a point of breaking even. For example, if 100 riders pay $1.00, how many riders do you need to make the same amount if the toll is lowered to $.75? It’s just a thought – I’m certainly not a math wizard but it seems to me that if you want more people to use the lanes that it might be worth reducing the costs.
Another thing that I have noticed is that after a snow day, some of the dividers between the lanes are knocked down. Perhaps this indicates that the drivers who didn’t want to pay the toll changed their minds after sitting in traffic for a while. McGurk said that the dividers are built so that emergency vehicles can go over them without incident but that cars may be damaged if they cross the dividers at high speed.
“The best way to describe it is that it’s relative,” said McGurk. “The white posts that divide the Express Lanes from the regular lanes are flexible and should not cause damage if they are crossed at a very slow speed. The higher the speed, the higher the risk of vehicle damage.”
“However, larger vehicles with better ground clearance (for example a fire truck or ambulance, especially with a larger bumper) will incur less damage than a smaller passenger car if both were to cross over dividers at same speed. The flexible posts allow first responders to access or exit the lanes quickly and give them the option to route traffic into or out of the Express Lanes.”
495 Express Lane Statistics for 2013:
- Served more than 855,000 customers
- Seen travelers from all 50 states
- Toll price has range: $0.25 to $9.75
- Average toll price: $1.63
- September 12, 2013, was the busiest day on the Express Lanes with 47,303 trips
- Three most popular Express Lanes trips since opening:
- I-66 to I-495N
- Springfield Interchange to Route 267
- Springfield Interchange to I-495N
