There is always traffic on rte 66................

Interstate 66

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the current Interstate 66 in Virginia and the District of Columbia. For the cancelled route from Kentucky to Kansas, see Interstate 66 (Kansas–Kentucky).

Interstate 66
Custis Memorial Parkway
Route information
Length:	76.38 mi[1] (122.92 km)
Major junctions
West end:	I-81 in Middletown, VA
	US 340 / US 522 near Front Royal, VA US 17 near Warrenton, VA US 15 in Haymarket, VA SR 234 near Manassas, VA US 50 near Fairfax, VA I-495 in Dunn Loring, VA SR 267 near Falls Church, VA
East end:	US 29 in Washington, DC
Location
States:	Virginia, District of Columbia
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Virginia Routes Interstate U.S. Primary Secondary Byways History Streets and Highways of Washington, D.C. Interstate U.S D.C. State-Named Streets ← SR 65 VA SR 67 → ← US 50 DC I‑95 →

Interstate 66 (I-66) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. As indicated by its even route number, it runs in an east–west direction. Its current western terminus is in Middletown, Virginia, at an interchange with Interstate 81;^[2] its eastern terminus is in Washington, D.C., at an interchange with U.S. Route 29.^[3] Because of its terminus in the Shenandoah Valley, the highway was once called the "Shenandoah Freeway."^[4] Much of the route parallels U.S. Route 29 or Virginia State Route 55. Interstate 66 has no physical or historical connection to the famous U.S. Route 66 which is in a different region of the United States.
The E Street Expressway is a spur from Interstate 66 into the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1 Route description
  • 1.1 Virginia
    • 1.1.1 HOV designation and rules
    • 1.1.2 Interstate 66 Outside the Beltway Improvement Project
    • 1.1.3 Inside the Beltway Improvement Project
  • 1.2 District of Columbia
  • 1.3 E Street Expressway
• 2 History
  • 2.1 Virginia
  • 2.2 District of Columbia
• 3 Exit list
• 4 Auxiliary routes
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Route description[edit]

I-66's western terminus, where it splits from I-81

Lengths

	mi	km
VA	74.8	120.54
DC	1.6	2.57
Total	76.4	123.11

Virginia[edit]

Rush hour traffic on I-66 westbound in Fairfax County

Because I-66 is the only Interstate Highway running west from Washington, D.C., into Northern Virginia, traffic on the road is often extremely heavy. For decades, there has been talk of widening I-66 from 2 to 3 lanes each way inside the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) through Arlington, Virginia, although many Arlington residents are adamantly opposed to this plan.
In 2005, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) studied the prospect of implementing a one-lane-plus-shoulder extension on westbound I-66 within the Beltway (in an attempt to reduce congestion for people commuting away from D.C.).^[5]
In the summer of 2010, construction began on a third lane and a 12-foot shoulder lane between the Fairfax Drive entrance ramp (near George Mason Drive in Ballston) to I-66 west and the Sycamore Street ramp, a 1.9 mile distance. The entrance ramp acceleration lane and the exit ramp deceleration lanes were lengthened to form a continuous lane between both ramps. The 12-foot shoulder lane can carry emergency vehicles and can be used in emergency situations. This project was completed in December 2011.^[6]
The Orange Line and the Silver Line of the Washington Metro operate in the median of the highway in Fairfax and Arlington counties. Four stations (Vienna, Dunn Loring, West Falls Church, and East Falls Church) are located along this segment of I-66.
I-66 east has two exit ramps, one from each side of the highway, to the Inner Loop of I-495 heading northbound. One is a two lane right exit which merges down to one lane halfway along the ramp, while a second exit ramp is a left exit; the latter reserved for use by high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) traffic during morning rush hour, but open to all traffic excluding trucks at all other times. Both exit ramps for the Inner Loop merge prior to merging from the left with the Inner Loop. There is no access from the Outer Loop of I-495 to I-66 east; traffic wishing to make this movement must use State Route 267 east.
I-66 east also has two exits, one from each side of the highway, to the Outer Loop of I-495. One is a right exit, while one is a left exit; the latter shares a ramp with the exit to the Inner Loop of I-495.
I-66 is named the "Custis Memorial Parkway" east of the Capital Beltway in Virginia.^[7] The name commemorates the Custis family, several of whose members (including Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, George Washington Parke Custis, Eleanor (Nellie) Parke Custis Lewis and Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee) played prominent roles in Northern Virginia's history.

HOV designation and rules[edit]

Due to heavy commuter traffic, I-66 features a variety of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) restrictions. Between US 29 in Gainesville, Virginia and the Capital Beltway, the left lane on eastbound I-66 is reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants (HOV-2 traffic) from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. on weekdays, and the left lane on westbound I-66 is reserved for HOV-2 traffic from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m on weekdays. The eastbound shoulder lane (far right lane) between US 50 in Fairfax, Virginia and the Beltway is open to all traffic from 5:30 to 11:00 a.m on weekdays. The westbound shoulder lane (far right lane), also between the Capital Beltway and U.S. Route 50, is open to all traffic from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m on weekdays.^[8]
Between the Beltway and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, the entire eastbound (inbound) roadway is reserved for HOV-2 and Washington Dulles International Airport traffic from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m., and the entire westbound (outbound) roadway is reserved for HOV-2 and Dulles Airport traffic from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. This is enforced by random police presence on the on- and off-ramps, because single-passenger vehicles are allowed to enter the highway inside the Beltway in the direction of rush-hour traffic when they intend to use the Dulles Access Road also called Virginia State Route 267 at exit 67. Police heavily monitor the three-mile stretch between the Dulles Access Road and the Beltway for violations also on Virginia State Route 267 between the on and off ramp to Washington Dulles International Airport and I-66 , frequently having traffic slow down to visually inspect inside each vehicle.^[9]
Both motorcycles and qualified "clean special fuel" vehicles are permitted to use HOV-2 facilities on I-66 during times when HOV regulations are in effect even without the required number of occupants. The "clean special fuel" designation is used primarily by hybrid vehicles, but is also available for vehicles using alternative fuels such as natural gas or electricity.^[10] To qualify for the HOV exemption, a vehicle owner must specifically request the designation when registering the vehicle, pay the appropriate fees, and display a "clean special fuel" license plate. The clean-fuel exemption is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2012, although the Virginia General Assembly has extended the exemption every year, one year at a time, since it was originally designated to expire in 2006.^[11] In 2011, the exemption was modified so it applies only to clean fuel vehicles registered before June 30, 2011. Clean-fuel vehicles registered after that date are not exempt from HOV regulations on I-66. In 2012, the exemption was modified to be "open-ended" rather than year-to-year.^[12]
As of January 28, 2011, penalties for HOV violators range from $125 on the first offense to $250 on the second offense, $500 on the third offense, and $1,000 on the fourth offense. Violators also receive three points on their driving record on the second and later offenses.^[13]