Virginia will no longer pursue a contentious High-Occupancy-Toll (HOT) lanes project on Interstate-395 and will instead focus on other improvements in the area, according to a letter from Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton to Northern Virginia leaders.
Arlington County is engaged in a lawsuit over the planned project – a key factor in the decision, according to the letter.
“The Commonwealth has worked for more than 18 months to resolve Arlington County’s lawsuit against the project and individuals involved in the project,” the letter reads. “Despite efforts on both sides of the dispute, we have been unable to reach a settlement agreement.”
The remaining plans include a new I-95 HOV/HOT lanes project from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to Edsall Road in Fairfax County, and linking the lanes to new HOT lanes on I-495. But the new HOT lanes project will not include plans for building six miles of HOV/HOT lanes on I-395 in Alexandria or Arlington County.
The state also plans to build a direct ramp from HOV lanes on I-395 to Seminary Road in an effort to ease anticipated traffic congestion near the Mark Center in Alexandria related to the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) moves.
