Drivers will have to pass through special traffic meters to get onto Interstate 66 during the morning rush starting Monday, even if traveling westbound.
The chronically congested highway linking Northern Virginia and D.C. has relied on such ramp meters for more than 20 years inside the Capital Beltway-Interstate 495.
But this is the first time the traffic signals will be used in both directions during peak morning and evening travel times.
Interstate 66 Traffic
Oct. 2009 Eastbound Westbound
6 a.m. to 10 a.m. 2,249 vehicles/hour 2,217 vehicles/hour
3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 1,996 vehicles per hour 2,564 vehicles/hour
SOURCE: Virginia Department of Transportation
The need for the ramps is both the latest sign of the region’s growing congestion problems and also an attempt at an easy improvement.
The highway used to be an almost one-way route for Virginians to get from their homes to their jobs downtown, with congestion primarily occurring eastbound in the morning, then west in the evening.
“The reverse commute has gotten a whole lot rougher over the last decade or so,” said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris.
In October, typical weekday travel was nearly the same in either direction during the morning commute, with 2,249 vehicles per hour traveling east toward D.C. and 2,217 vehicles traveling westbound, according to traffic sensor data.
The evening commute, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., showed a wider gap between directions. But both sides clocked average speeds of 54 and 55 mph, showing some congestion each way.
The evening commute, from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., showed a wider gap between directions. But both sides clocked average speeds of 54 and 55 mph, showing some congestion each way.
The two-way slowdowns come as jobs and development have spread out around the region, making downtown D.C. not the only destination for jobs. Also the increased traffic jams throughout the region have forced drivers to be more creative in using all options to get around.
The ramp meters work essentially like traffic lights at the base of an entrance ramp. They help to stagger the flow of traffic onto highways.
“Hopefully they will help,” Morris said. “Instead of people peeling onto the road, it’s more regulated so you don’t create congestion on the mainline.”
Transportation officials will monitor traffic once the change is made, she said. Eventually, Morris said, they may need to use the ramps during weekends, too, because the interstate is also facing growing congestion problems then.
