HD94 - Feasibility and Safety of Toll-Free Usage of the Dulles Toll Road by HOV-3 Vehicles

  • Published: 1994
  • Author: Department of Transportation
  • Enabling Authority: Chapter 82 (Regular Session, 1993)

Executive Summary:
During the 1993 session, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bills 1925 and 1928 that allowed toll free use of the Dulles Toll Road by vehicles carrying three or more people and directed the Commonwealth Transportation Board to examine the feasibility and safety of such use and report to the Governor and the General Assembly during the 1994 session.

The Dulles Toll Road is currently operating at a level of service (LOS) "D", and is expected to reach LOS "E" in 1994 and LOS "F" by 1996. Average daily volumes are projected to reach 130,000 vehicles per day by the year 2010. These volumes support the need for multi-occupant vehicle incentives. The subject bills propose toll free high occupancy vehicles (HOV) as such an incentive.

While toll free HOV operation under the current toll collection system is feasible and would present no known safety problems, the benefits and incentive for the formation of carpools is questionable. A manned tollbooth serving both HOV and LOV (low occupancy vehicle) vehicles would be necessary at each plaza. Since HOVs would still be required to wait in the toll queue they would not benefit from any travel time savings, which is the primary incentive for carpooling in a congested urban area such as Northern Virginia. Verification and auditing of toll-free vehicles would be difficult since the attendant would have complete control over whether or not to let a vehicle pass toll free.

Toll free HOV operation alone would have no positive effect on traffic flow in the corridor and would result in a reduction of toll revenues available to be used in the corridor for ongoing expenses and for alternatives analysis, preliminary engineering and design of long term solutions such as the Dulles Toll Road HOV, improved bus service, commuter rail, commuter parking lots and interchange improvements. The Dulles HOV Special Advisory Committee is examining alternative HOV solutions in the Dulles Corridor and it is recommended that the Committee also examine toll free operations as part of the selected alternative.