Both proposals would convert the HOV lanes to high-occupancy toll, or HOT, lanes. Vehicles with three or more occupants would travel free; those with fewer occupants could use the HOT lanes by paying an electronic toll.
The soonest the state could enter into an agreement with one of the parties would be early next year.
Public-private partnerships are one of Virginia's hopes for future transportation projects, with private entities building improvements cheaper and faster than if the state did them alone.
Dr. Gridlock must acknowledge that the public-private Route 28 corridor project underway in Fairfax and Loudoun counties is impressive.
The last of a half-dozen interchanges is scheduled for completion late next year. That is considerably faster than the state can build interchanges alone.
To follow the I-95 HOT proposals, log on to www.virginiadot.org/business/ppta-I-95HotLanes.asp.
Seeking Signs
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
On Interstate 395 near the Pentagon, many of the highway signs designed to help drivers navigate the tangle of interchanges in that area are missing. In some cases, half of the sign is missing.
The missing signs make it difficult to give out-of-towners directions and create dangerous situations as drivers suddenly cut across several lanes of traffic upon realizing they are about to miss their exit.
Some of these signs have been gone for more than a year.
Why are so many signs missing, and what does the Virginia Department of Transportation plan to do about it?
Geoff Gerhardt
Arlington
Sometimes high winds knock them down; sometimes errant motorists do. In other cases, such as the exit from I-395 to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, signs were never posted.
