495 Express Lanes traffic growing
Published
The 495 Express Lanes are becoming more popular as commuters become familiar with the dynamic tolling lanes.
Traffic on the toll lanes in Northern Virginia grew 57.2 percent to an average of 23,903 trips per day by the sixth week the new lanes were open. Revenue collected grew from a daily average of $12,212 during the first week to an average of $24,317 per day by the sixth week.
The minimum price charged to travel the entire 14 miles of the toll lanes was $1.65, and the maximum price charged was $3.70 during the first six weeks. The toll lanes become more expensive to use as traffic congestion increases. The average trip has been $1.07.
On average, about 92.6 percent of users on the lanes are tolled trips, with the rest being made up by transit and high-occupancy vehicle users, who can use the lanes for free.
