Greenway Toll Increase?

What I don't understand is why trucks are allowed it's use. Why in the HOV lane on the Dulles Toll Road - do trucks use the HOV lane? I realize there are two or more passengers but I will never do business with JK movers - their trucks are everywhere and they slow things up in the HOV lane. On 66 - you cannot have a truck in the HOV lane.

My two cents and rant.

 

Good point about trucks in the HOV lanes of the toll road!! There oughtta be a law! Also does it seem like the slowest people in the world get in the middle lane only of the greenway? Its like the right lane is poison or something.

 

Why do people feel the need to drive 75+mph on the Greenway and Toll Road. If one drives the entire distance from Leesburg to 495 at 75 mph instead of 65 mph they save a whopping 1 minute and 50 seconds of drive time and they more than double their chance of being involved in a fatal accident. Is 1 minute and 50 seconds really that important?
Ok I am a bit off topic here but I felt the need to rant also.

 

It would be nice if they were able to put a cap on the amount of money they deduct daily from the Smart Tag. Say like $5.00 or something. That way the people who are local wont be hit so darn hard. I know I've easily racked up over $10 using the Greenway on some of my busy days. And heaven forbid if anyone takes the wrong exit and has to hop back on...they get zinged for a new toll.
It also would be nice to see them copy the NJ turnpike and make it so that you are charged according to how far you drive on the road rather than just a flat fee. I always feel like I'm paying for a Venti but they're only giving me a Tall!!! (That's a Starbucks reference in case any of you dont get it)

 

Can you show your calculations that show a savings of 1 minute 50 seconds driving 75mph vs. 65mph between Leesburg and 495? I found it to be a pretty interesting stat, but my numbers weren't adding up to 1 minute 50 seconds. Mine were more along the 3-4 minute difference.

I used 30 miles as the distance between Leesburg and 495.

 

If you go 80 like me you can save about 10 mins.[8D] Joking aside, the real problem is the sloooow people that don't even go the speed limit and they are almost always in the fast lane.

 

I don't really see how the Greenway is a 'privledge' road. And it IS the only road that goes from A to B which is why we all use it. There are roads that go from A to C to D, and then a right at E and maybe a left at C, and then finally you arrive at B...but none other that go directly from A to B.

Without the Greenway would any of the Broadlands or Brambleton have been built??? I'd guess no. And much of the surrounding development is dependant on the road as well. If the Greenway was suddenly shut down the housing market along it would crumble to the ground. And if so, then how can we look at the Greenway and say it is not a standard road that is needed for day to day operations? That it isn't a 'required' road?

 

Actually, trucks above a certain weight (including large moving trucks) are never permitted on 66 inside the Beltway.

 

Here's my 1/2 cent:

When did the toll for Smart Tag users go from $1.90 to $2.20ish? I think thats what the rate is now.

Is the Greenway a private road? I believe owners of private roads must give or request that state/local police monitor and have the ability to give tickets. If so, remove the 65mph speed limit please. It seems there are few that cruise in the 65-70mph range.

Why not allow Loudoun residents to use the airport road for those who are going from Loudoun to 495 -- bypass the "local lanes" through Reston?

I am hoping that once Waxpool & 28 have the non-light intersections complete traffic on Waxpool will no longer be backed up to the Waxpool turn at WCom on days when the Greenway is backed up to Clairborne. doh!

I go the entire way to 495 and I am remember when they increased the number of toll lanes and now we've got 5,6,7 or so lanes squeezing down to 2 lanes, add in a mist of rain and traffic is backed up to Huntermill. Obviously the engineers need to put their thinking caps back on and work out something to keep traffic moving. It looks like a 2nd 495s lane is being added but it won't help if the 495n lane is backed up to the plaza and drivers can't get over.

While its longer, using FFCPky or Reston Pkwy to Lawyers to get to the Merryfield/Fairfax area is a nice alternative, about 15-20mins longer if I get off at Huntermill.

As developers continue to add to Loudoun county, especially when the bulk of commuters will most likely use the Greenway (yes, I know there are alternatives) it would be nice if they were "encouraged" to contribute to extending metro to Dulles and ultimately Leesburg.

As for adding a stadium - add it somewhere south on 28, maybe near the new Air & Space campus -- congest traffic south of the Toll Road not traffic to the west of 28.

 

On two points... my understanding has always been that the Greenway developers and the State agreed early on that the road would be subject to all state highway laws, i.e. the 65 MPH limit, and the State Police would have jurisdiction. This might even be a requirement under the state law that permits private toll roads, which I vaguely remember reading about.

As for the airport lanes, you're not alone. There has been a long debate about opening up the airport lanes to long-haul commuters, or making them into an HOV access route like 395 has (thereby adding another non-HOV lane to the current toll road). The response I have always read about is that the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (a federally-created agency) "owns" the arport lanes and refuses to permit non-airport traffic to legally use the lanes. I think that also explains why the airport lanes are plowed much better in the winter than the toll road, since the airports authority does the airport lanes and VDOT does the toll road.

 

There is some history on the entire Dulles Access Road/Toll Road/Greenway at http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Dulles_Trans_Corridor.html .

Here's a snippet:

The Dulles Airport Access Road (DAAR) opened when the airport opened in 1962, and runs from VA-123 near I-495, to Dulles Airport, about 12 miles. This is a four-lane expressway for airport traffic only, and has no toll. There are sparse interchanges; on-ramps only inbound to Dulles, and off-ramps only outbound toward D.C. The road was built by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), and they obtained wide enough right-of-way for parallel roadways to be eventually built on each side.

Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Funny you should mention a map. I am a mapblast/mapquest person. every time I need to go somewhere I look it up on one of these sights...however, since I moved to the Broadlands in November I have become so FRUSTRATED with every single set of directions I pull up. They all involve the Greenway!! I am all for convenience, but I at least want the option to go another way! I guess I'll have to start manually mapping out my trips with an ADC map [B)]

 

Wes,
You are right I was figuring about 15 miles. But still, is 3-4 minutes worth the stress and risk involved at driving those speeds? I'll just stick a bit closer to the posted speed and stay in the right lane.

 

I presume you already tried Belmont Ridge & Gum Spring Rds as a short cut?

 

Pavement all the way to Manassas...

Left onto Belmont Ridge Rd from Broadlands.

Continue straight on Belmont Ridge through the Stop sign at Ryan Rd intersection.

At next flashing red light or Stop sign (it's a dead end), turn left onto Evergreen Mills Rd.

Soon after above Stop sign, make a sharp, curving right turn at an old country store in Arcola onto Gum Springs Rd.

Straight through Arcola and the next light is Rt. 50. Turn left at this light for cheaper gas at the 7-11 and Sheets down the highway on the right, and to S. Riding. Skip the first gas on the left after turning onto Rt. 50 unless you want to pay with cash -- they don't take credit cards.

If you continued straight on Gum Springs through this Rt. 50 light and turned left onto Sudley Rd (Rt. 234) at the next Stop sign or flashing red light, you can continue straight through the next traffic light, past the battlefields and NOVA, into Manassas.

 

If you continued straight on Gum Springs through this Rt. 50 light and turned left onto Sudley Rd (Rt. 234) at the next Stop sign or flashing red light, you can continue straight through the next traffic light, past the battlefields and NOVA, into Manassas.


hey GCry thanks I was looking for a way to get to Sudley today and avoid 66. I knew how to get to 50 using gum spring but did not realize it went all the way to Sudley. Wow what a surprise what you can find in the Broadlands forums

Staci