To the Editor:
An article was recently published in your newspaper discussing the new I-95 express lanes (95 Express Lanes Open, The Connection, Dec. 18-24, 2014). One statement in the article read, “Construction manager for the project John Morse, of VDOT, said that the addition of a third lane will solve a number of problems and give people options other than waiting in traffic.” Creating the express lanes, however, does not resolve a primary underlying issue. Along vast stretches of heavily congested I-95, including in Prince William County, there are only three lanes for traffic. The express lanes are just a partial solution. I-95 is the busiest highway on the East Coast. Tens of thousands of out-of-town travelers use this highway daily. These travelers likely will not know to have an EZ-Pass Flex to access these lanes, much less pay a potentially high dollar figure to use them. Local travelers also have to incur a substantial daily fee unless they manage to have three passengers. Plus, the toll lanes end after the I-495 interchange, leaving those without three passengers subject to driving in the main line of I-395. Northern Virginia is continuing to grow. The express lanes did not add any additional lanes to I-95, allowing for traffic to continue to jam the highway.
Abigail Ross
Woodbridge