New Beltway express lanes lead to crashes and changes

Rogers, who is interested in transportation issues and had read up on the lanes, traveled in them Saturday and twice early Monday afternoon.

“I didn’t want to go through there [at] peak time when there was more risk of being in a wreck,” he said.

(Gene Thorp/The Washington Post)

Map: HOT lanes access points

Washington Post graphic

Drivers can enter at northern and southern access points, or interchanges in between.

• Q&A: Dr. Gridlock chat transcript from Monday on the HOT lanes
• Driver reaction: Tweets and comments from motorists
• Nov. 19 - First experiences with the 495 express lanes
• Nov. 14 -A user’s guide for the Beltway express lanes
• Nov. 14 - Beltway HOT lanes: Innovation born of necessity

Traffic was very light in the new lanes during Monday’s morning commute. Some drivers are concerned about problems cropping up as more and more traffic flows into the express lanes.

“I think the biggest confusion is going to be at the exit points,” said Vivek Ramgopal, 34, of Fairfax. “The exits aren’t aligned with every exit on 495, and I think that might be the expectation.”

It should take a few weeks to determine whether these lanes are working at reducing congestion, said Peter Samuel, editor of Tollroadsnews, a Web site that monitors transportation policy.

“Most important will be people getting the hang of it,” Samuel said. “It is an area with a lot of commuters who do those things on a regular basis. . . . People need to try and plan it out a bit.”

The new lanes opened Saturday at 2 a.m. after weeks of media attention and a ribbon-cutting and balloon drop presided over by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R).

The first crash came just before 7 a.m. Saturday. A 19-year-old driver approaching the express lane entrance swerved to the right to avoid it, overcorrected to the left and hit the Jersey wall. She and an 18-year-old passenger were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.

An hour later, just as the first crash was being cleared from the road, two vehicles caught in the backup collided.

The third accident came shortly after 2:15 p.m Saturday. A driver trying to avoid the lanes swerved, and the car spun out and came to a stop in the roadway. The fourth incident occurred on Sunday at 8:04 a.m., when another vehicle trying to avoid the toll swerved, spun and struck the Jersey wall.

On Monday, the first accident took place after 6 a.m. Two vehicles collided when trying to avoid the toll lanes. It was quickly followed by another pair of cars colliding while trying to avoid the first accident.

Lori Aratani contributed to this story.