I-66 Express Lanes: 3 people required to use HOV lanes
Another major change is coming to Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia: Starting Monday, carpoolers will need at least three people onboard to get a free ride in high-occupancy toll lanes.
The new HOV-3 requirement is set to go into effect from Route 15 in Haymarket to Route 29 in Rosslyn, bringing another change to a corridor that has been transformed with the addition of more than 30 miles of express lanes in recent years.
The shift follows last month’s full opening of 22.5 miles of high-occupancy toll lanes from the Beltway to Gainesville. The 66 Express Lanes, outside the Beltway, connect with 10 miles of rush-hour, peak-direction toll lanes that opened in December 2017 between the Beltway and the District.
Drivers in the corridor outside the Beltway have the option to pay to use the express lanes or carpool to ride free. The highway has three general-purpose lanes eastbound and westbound along with two HOT lanes in each direction.
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Drivers until now have been able to use the lanes free with only one passenger. The change from HOV-2 to HOV-3 applies on the express lanes and for use of HOV lanes in effect during rush hour in stretches of the route that don’t have HOT lanes.
The change has some commuters juggling to find an additional passenger to ride the lanes free. Several drivers were posting in search of carpoolers in a Facebook group that facilitates “slug lines” in the corridor — a system of casual carpooling that allows drivers to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and cut time off their commute.
Carpoolers using the toll lanes must have an E-ZPass Flex set to the “HOV On” mode for a free ride.
Virginia transportation officials said the HOV-3 rule will bring the corridor in line with HOV requirements on other express lanes in Northern Virginia and make it consistent with regional goals of moving more people with fewer vehicles.
Electronic signs inform drivers of the price before they enter the lanes.
The toll system outside the Beltway is a 24-hour operation and has a dynamic pricing system, with tolls that rise and fall based on traffic conditions. It is the latest addition to Virginia’s growing network of express lanes.
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