Virginia State Route 267

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Virginia 267.svg
State Route 267
Length: 28.68 mi[1][2] (46.16 km)
Formed: 1982
West end: US 15.svgVirginia 7.svg US 15/SR 7 in Leesburg
Major
junctions:		 Virginia 28.svg SR 28 at Dulles Airport
VA CY 7100.PNG SR 7100 in Reston
I-495.svg I-495 near Tysons Corner
East end: I-66.svg I-66 near Falls Church
Virginia Routes
< I-264 SR 269 >
Primary – Secondary – History – Turnpikes

State Route 267 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It consists of two end-to-end toll roads – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway – as well as the Dulles Access Road,[3] which lies in the median of the Dulles Toll Road. The combined roadway provides a toll road for commuting and a free road for Dulles Airport access. The three sections are operated by separate agencies: the Dulles Toll Road by the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Dulles Greenway by a private consortium, and the Dulles Access Road by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Contents

[edit] Dulles Access Road

The Dulles Access Road is a four-lane, 13.65-mile[1][2] (21.97 km) highway that runs "inside" the Dulles Toll Road along its median. There are no general-access exits from the west-bound lanes, and no general-access entrances to the east-bound lanes, with the exception of gated slip ramps to and from the toll road that buses and emergency vehicles can use. The Access Road was built as part of the construction of Dulles Airport, and opened with the airport in 1962.

The Dulles Access Road is operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation under contract with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the owner of the land under the Dulles Toll Road,[4] and has the unsigned designation of State Route 90004.[5] The Dulles Airport Access Road can be used only for travel to and from Dulles Airport and other businesses (such as air freight, hotels, and gas stations) on the airport grounds. Although it is illegal to use the Access Road without conducting such "airport business", some commuters evade the toll and the traffic on the Toll Road by taking the Access Road to the airport, then "backtracking" to their exit. For a couple of years prior to the opening of the Dulles Toll Road, VDOT issued special stickers allowing commuters (for a fee) to backtrack legally along the access highway, but these were discontinued when the toll road opened.[6]

[edit] Dulles Toll Road

The main toll plaza of the Dulles Toll Road
A closer view of the electronic and traditional lanes
View of Route 267 from the Wiehle Avenue exit

The Dulles Toll Road is an eight-lane, 16.15-mile[1][2] (25.99 km) toll road. It was built in 1984 by the Virginia Department of Transportation. It begins just inside the Capital Beltway near Falls Church at a connector to Interstate 66 to Washington, D.C., travels westward through Fairfax County past Dulles Airport, and terminates at the entrance to the Dulles Greenway, a privately owned toll road. Officially, the road is named the Omer L. Hirst - Adelard L. Brault Expressway, in honor of two Virginia state legislators. However, the road is rarely referred to by that name. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour (90 km/h).

From the Beltway, motorists exiting onto SR 267 toward Dulles Airport must choose between lanes marked Airport Traffic Only and To All Local Exits; the Airport Traffic Only lanes lead to the two westbound lanes of the Access Road. Eastbound traffic is routed differently; Dulles-originating traffic can choose destinations between Herndon exits (putting them on the mainline Toll Road) or further on (starting them on the Access Road), and transfer exits are provided from the Access Road to the Toll Road before the Herndon exits, Reston exits, and the Beltway. Access Road traffic to State Route 7 gets a separate exit ramp from those of the Toll Road, and then the two eastbound segments merge before the junction with Interstate 66.

A main toll plaza west of the Beltway interchange collects a $1.00 toll in both directions. In addition, toll booths located on westbound exit ramps and eastbound entrance ramps collect tolls of 75 cents; although at the Route 7 interchange, tolls are only collected from Route 267 east to Route 7 east. All tollbooths are equipped with both the Smart Tag (Virginia) and E-ZPass (Virginia to Maine) electronic toll collection systems. 50 cents of each toll is attributable to the financing of a rapid mass transit line to Dulles Airport (see Silver Line (Washington Metro)). Additional main toll plaza surcharge increases are scheduled for 2011 (to $1.25) and 2012 (to $1.50).[7][8]

HOV-2 restrictions are in effect during weekday rush hours, 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. eastbound and 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. westbound, limiting the left lane to vehicles with two or more passengers between State Route 28 and the main toll plaza. Motorcycles and "clean fuel" vehicles (hybrid and compressed natural gas) are exempt from HOV restrictions in Virginia, allowing single-passenger vehicles of those types to use the lanes as well. During rush hour, the appropriate directions of Interstate 66 between the Beltway and U.S. Route 29 just outside Washington are HOV-2, as well as the portion of the Access Road between I-66 and SR 123.

On March 27, 2006, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority took over from Virginia the operation of the Dulles Toll Road, including the outstanding debt and the obligation to construct a rapid mass transit line in the median strip of the toll road.[9]

[edit] Dulles Greenway

The Dulles Greenway is a privately owned toll road in Northern Virginia, running for 12.53 miles[1] (20.17 km) northwest from the end of the Dulles Toll Road to the Leesburg Bypass (U.S. Route 15/State Route 7). Although privately owned, the highway is also part of SR 267. The speed limit is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h).

The main toll plaza of the Dulles Greenway

The road was privately built and is not a public asset. The current owner is "Toll Road Investors Partnership II" (TRIP II), which is a consortium of the Bryant/Crane Family LLC, the Franklin L. Haney Co.,[10] and Kellogg Brown & Root (KB&R). On August 31, 2005, Australian firm Macquarie Infrastructure Group announced that they had paid $533 million to TRIP II to acquire its 86.7% ownership of the Greenway, and were negotiating with KB&R for the remaining ownership rights.[11]

The road was envisioned as early as the 1970s, when new residents were attracted to Loudoun County because of the relatively low cost of real estate. The road was completed and opened in 1995, but the original owners defaulted on its loan due to lower than projected use.[12] It receives no public funds, was built with no subsidies, and is policed at its own expense, competing as a wholly private enterprise with the state-built and -maintained roads.[13]

The main toll plaza for the Dulles Greenway is located just west of the exits for Route 28 and Dulles Airport. Additional toll plazas are located on westbound entrance ramps and eastbound exit ramps with the exception of Battlefield Parkway (Exit 2) in Leesburg. The toll varies depending on the toll plaza traversed. As of January 2009, the base toll collected for two-axle vehicles ranges from $2.30 to $3.90. The maximum toll rises to $4.50 during "congestion pricing" hours, which are 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. eastbound and 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. westbound. This is set to rise again; by 2012, drivers face a maximum round-trip toll of $9.60, when congestion pricing is taken into account.[14] Vehicles traveling through the main toll plaza to or from the Dulles Toll Road are charged two tolls: one for the Dulles Toll Road, and one for the Dulles Greenway. Cash tolls are accepted during limited hours, and credit cards and EZ-Pass transponder payments are accepted at all times.[15] The Greenway is also one of two routes where a subscription membership (exclusive to EZ-Pass) allows for an additional discount. Alternate (free) routes include State Route 7 and State Route 28, both of which are generally more congested.[16]

The Greenway was later widened to six lanes from the mainline toll plaza to Leesburg. Use of the Greenway has grown, reflecting the increased population of Loudoun County. In 1996, the Greenway served 6.3 million trips, growing to 21 million in 2006.[16] However, as a result of the January 2009 toll increase, usage has dropped to an average of 47,490 tolls a day.[12]

[edit] Controversies

The 1988 statute authorizing the private toll road permitted toll increases above the rate of inflation under a three-part test: (1) the new fee must not "materially discourage" drivers from using the road, (2) the company must not make more than a "reasonable rate of return" from the increase, and (3) the road's benefit must match its cost.[17] Critics claim that the drop in use following the 2009 toll increase is evidence that the test has not been met.[who?] Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), the Congressman representing the area served by the road, stated, "It's highway robbery. It's a disgrace. Everyone knows that these tolls are ripping people off and there's not much we can do about it."[12]

[edit] Exit list

Route 267 uses sequential exit numbering (rather than distance-based exit numbering).

County Location Mile # Destinations Notes
Loudoun Leesburg 1 By-pass plate.svgBy-pass plate.svg
US 15 / SR 7 - Frederick, MD, Leesburg, Warrenton		 Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (south/west) and 1B (north/east)
2 Battlefield Parkway No toll for vehicles traveling to or from Exit 1
3 SR 653 (Shreve Mill Road)
Ashburn 4 SR 659 (Belmont Ridge Road)
5 SR 901 (Claiborne Parkway)
6 SR 772 – Ashburn
7 SR 607 (Loudoun County Parkway)
Sterling 8 SR 606 (Old Ox Road) Eastbound to SR 28 North
9A SR 28 south – Centreville, Manassas
9B SR 28 north – Sterling Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Washington Dulles International Airport A dedicated eastbound exit opened on June 30, 2009[18]
Fairfax Herndon 10 SR 657 – Herndon, Chantilly
11 SR 7100 (Fairfax County Parkway) – Herndon, Reston, Springfield Herndon/Monroe Park & Ride
Reston 12 SR 602 (Reston Parkway)
13 SR 828 (Wiehle Avenue)
14 SR 674 (Hunter Mill Road)
Tysons Corner 15 Wolf Trap National Park Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
16 SR 7 (Leesburg Pike) – Tysons Corner, Leesburg Signed as exits 16A (east) and 16B (west) eastbound
17 SR 684 (Spring Hill Road)
18 I-495 - Baltimore, Richmond Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
18 I-495 north - Baltimore Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
19 SR 123 – Tysons Corner, McLean Signed as exits 19A (south) and 19B (north)
Falls Church I-66 east - Washington Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Loudoun County PDF ( 634 KiB )
  2. ^ a b c 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Fairfax County PDF ( 3.99 MiB )
  3. ^ "Designated Interstate and Primary Route Numbers, Named Highways, Named Bridges and Designated Virginia Byways" (PDF). Virginia Department of Transportation. July 1, 2003. p. 24. http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/route-index-07012003.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-13. "267 - STATE ROUTE: From Routes 7/15 in Leesburg to Route I-66 north of Falls Church, including the parallel lanes along the Dulles International Airport Access Road." 
  4. ^ "Airports Authority Wants to Control Dulles Toll Road". WTOP-FM. December 21, 2005. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=30&sid=654733. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  5. ^ Froehlig, Adam; Mike Roberson (November 26, 2006). "VA 800 to 90005". Virginia Highway Index. http://www.vahighways.com/route-log/va800-999.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-13. "VA 90004 is the free Dulles Access lanes in the median of the toll VA 267. [...] VA 90004 is for access to the Dulles Airport only. A hefty ticket awaits you if you try to use it as a way to circumvent the VA 267 toll road." 
  6. ^ Hodge, Paul (December 6, 1983). "I-66 Link Opens to Motorist Confusion". Loudon Extra (Washington Post). http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/1983/dec/06/i-66-link-opens-motorist-confusion/. Retrieved 2009-04-13. "Yesterday morning illegal commuters – those lacking special bumper stickers – were backtracking to Dulles and getting on the eastbound access highway at the rate of four or five a minute. But more than 75 percent of the backtracking commuter cars displayed the $2 FAA decals that mark them as legal commuters on the access road (but not on I-66)." 
  7. ^ "Airports Authority Board Approves Toll Rate Increases on Dulles Toll Road" (PDF). Nov. 4, 2009. http://www.mwaa.com/_/file/_/pr2009_11_04.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-19. 
  8. ^ "Dulles Toll Road fees rise to help pay for Silver Line; increases are criticized". The Washington Post. 1 January 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123101624.html?hpid=newswell. Retrieved 1 January 2010. 
  9. ^ "Governor Kaine Announces Partnership With Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for Dulles Corridor" (PDF). Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. March 27, 2006. http://www.mwaa.com/_/File/_/pr032706.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  10. ^ "About FLH Company". http://www.flhcompany.com/about.html. Retrieved 03 December 2009. 
  11. ^ Ginsberg, Steven (2005-09-01). "Australian Firm Buys Greenway". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083102433.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  12. ^ a b c Kravitz, Derek (July 5, 2009). "Greenway Revenue, Traffic at Odds". Washington Post: p. C1. 
  13. ^ Greenway, Dulles. "Dulles Greenway Facts & Myths". http://dullesgreenway.com/facts-myths.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
  14. ^ Somashekhar, Sandhya (September 13, 2007). "Tolls Set To Rise On Dulles Greenway: Most Drivers Won't Be Affected Till '09". Washington Post: p. B03. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/12/AR2007091201374.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  15. ^ http://dullesgreenway.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=18&cntnt01returnid=58 Retrieved 2009-0705.
  16. ^ a b Mummolo, Jonathan (July 1, 2007). "Greenway Drivers Face Dilemma: Tolls Up, but Few Good Alternate Routes Available". Washington Post: p. C1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/30/AR2007063000762.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
  17. ^ Virginia Highway Corporation Act of 1988, Va. Code § 56-542(I)(3).
  18. ^ http://dullesgreenway.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=22&cntnt01returnid=58 Retrieved 2009-0705.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_State_Route_267#Dulles_Greenway"