Thursday, April 4, 2013
A special promotion is in effect Saturday and Sunday to encourage travelers to try out the new express lanes.
Sick of the gridlock around Vienna? Drivers this weekend can use the Interstate 495 Beltway Express Lanes for free — no E-ZPass required. The free weekend, April 6 and 7, is part of an educational campaign to encourage Beltway drivers to try the new travel option on the Virginia side of the Capital Beltway and see how the Express Lanes can work for them, according to the 495 Express Lanes project. In addition to two days of free travel, the Express Lanes will also lift the E-ZPass requirement. Drivers can travel on the Express Lanes with or without an E-ZPass and will not be charged a toll. At all other times, drivers are required to travel with an E-ZPass; carpoolers must have an E-ZPass Flex. Free Express Lanes travel is only available …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says "You see pavement. I see jobs.”
Though the I-495 Express Lanes opens to commuters this Saturday, Virginia officials, stakeholders and residents gathered for an early ribbon-cutting celebration celebration Tuesday in Tysons. Hundreds of people attended the ceremony, including Gov. Bob McDonnell, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) and Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee), among others. McDonnell said the economic impacts from the massive construction project were cause for celebration. Building the lanes brought more than 16,000 jobs and $3.5 billion to the Commonwealth, he said. “It’s pumped billions of dollars into the economy and put thousands of people to work,” McDonnell said. “You see pavement. I see jobs.” Developers paid for 80 percent of the $2 billion …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Officials briefed news media Wednesday on Beltway toll Express Lanes construction.
The I-495 Express Lanes are in the final phase of construction and should be operational by late fall 2012, officials said during a news briefing Wednesday morning. The lanes, which have been undergoing testing for the last couple of months, will bring faster, easier and pricier trips to commuters, but they’ll also bring major traffic changes. “This is the biggest single traffic change for this region since the opening of I-66 30 years ago,” said Jennifer Aument, vice president of Transurban-Fluor, the company building the lanes. “So all drivers, whether they plan to use the Express Lanes or not, need to be alert and be prepared.” Aument urged carpoolers to purchase their E-ZPass Flex transponders and learn as much as they can about the …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
New transponder switches between toll-free and toll-paying mode for the 495 HOT Lanes.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials announced Wednesday the launch of the EZ-Pass Flex transponder, a device that will allow high-occupancy vehicles to ride for free when the 495 Express Lanes open later this year. The beltway express lanes, which will run from the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) exit to the I-95/395/495 interchange (the “mixing bowl”) will be free for all vehicles with three or more occupants. All drivers will need an EZ-Pass transponder to use the lanes. Drivers wishing to take advantage of the HOV toll-free option will have to purchase an EZ-Pass Flex. “Carpooling is an important priority in the commonwealth of Virginia,” said Charles Kilpatrick, VDOT’s chief deputy commissioner, encouraging all …
Laura B.
11:45 am on Thursday, April 4, 2013
I would probably get an EZ-Pass if it weren't for the fact that they charge a monthly fee to keep an account open. I looked into the option of getting one from another state that doesn't assess a monthly fee, such as Massachusetts, but it appears that the Flex version can only come from Virginia. more ›