A series of public meetings on how to best ease the traffic congestion along I-66 in northern Virginia kicked off Monday night. News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss takes a deeper look at the road, its issues, and what could be coming to help get you home faster.
Could drivers on I-66 during the busiest travel times pay to use the road?
Creating new express toll lanes is one proposal currently under debate in Virginia, as transportation officials work to reduce congestion on one of the region's busiest roads through some of our fastest-growing areas.
The proposal would affect drivers inside and outside the Beltway. It's possible those new toll lanes would run from the D.C. border to Route 15 near Haymarket in Prince William County.
Inside the Beltway, the lanes could be HOT-3 during rush hour -- meaning drivers would have to have three people in the car or pay a toll to use them.
Tolling parts of the road is one idea being considered; so is adding rapid bus service and Park and Ride lots or turning the interstate into a "smart road" with traffic controls that are triggered by congestion.
Right now, the Virginia Department of Transportation is conducting public meetings to collect reaction to some of the plans. If an aggressive timeline is met, toll lanes could start inside the Beltway in 2017 and outside the Beltway in 2021.
