Drivers could find out if the Vienna Metro station parking garage still has open spaces before they turn off Interstate 66, under a series of proposals in the Virginia General Assembly. They could drive on the shoulders of the perennially clogged highway from Manassas to the Capital Beltway on weekends and nights, not just during weekday rush hours. And they could avoid buses crossing over a high-occupancy vehicle lane on their way to the Metro station with the addition of a new exit ramp. The $62 million set of proposals pending in the Virginia House is the latest attempt to ease the commute on the highway. Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation plan includes some of the provisions. Del. Jim LeMunyon, R-Fairfax, said he “put exclamation points” on them Monday before a House subcommittee and introduced the idea for Vienna parking sensors.
“The Washington, D.C., area has the worst traffic congestion in America, and I-66 is arguably the most congested road in Northern Virginia,” LeMunyon said. “These initiatives aim to offer motorists some near-term congestion relief while longer-term solutions are planned.”
More permanent solutions such as widening the highway, adding dedicated buses or extending Metro’s Orange Line would take lots of money. The proposals on deck, LeMunyon said, are “what’s within the realm of the possible that could be done quickly and not cost a billion dollars.”
In addition to opening the shoulders, the plan calls for actively managing the traffic with variable speed limit signs to gauge and control the flow of cars.
Details would need to be worked out on the Vienna parking sensors, LeMunyon said, but he estimated that they would cost about $500 per spot or less.
The sensors would be similar to those at Washington Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International airports that show available spots. And a sign would be visible from the highway showing what the sensors find, saving cars from exiting, then merging back onto I-66 after getting shut out of the parking lots.
Since 1993, transportation officials have allowed drivers to use the shoulder lanes on I-66 during rush hours.
Then, in 2009, transportation officials began using ramp traffic meters in both directions, as the reverse commute started becoming more popular. The ramp meters essentially work like traffic lights at the base of an entrance ramp, helping to stagger the flow of traffic onto the highway.
