More Lanes in Store for I-95 and I-395

D ear Dr. Gridlock:

First off, I would like to congratulate the team that is responsible for the improvements to the Springfield interchange. As a person who travels from Woodbridge to Tysons Corner and back every day, I expected the worst.

But only a few commutes were worsened by the construction. As they are near finishing, it is a joy to be able to flow through the interchange without the headaches that used to be associated with it.

Now on to the problem. While the commute from Tysons Corner -- 495 to 95 south -- through the interchange works great, the problem has been pushed farther south. As soon as you get through the interchange, traffic on 95 south comes to a standstill.

Scott Jackson

Woodbridge

Your route is part of the most intensive highway program in our region. The Virginia Department of Transportation is going to add a fourth lane in each direction on I-95 from Route 123 at the Occoquan River to the Fairfax County Parkway/Route 7100. The eight-mile-long widening is scheduled to get underway in early 2008 and take four years, said Joan Morris, a VDOT spokeswoman in Northern Virginia.

Motorists can expect lane closures at off-peak hours, but there will be no closures for rush periods during construction.

But wait, Scott, there's more. The state is working with a private consortium called Fluor-Transurban on two projects that will create extra lanes for carpoolers and drivers willing to pay a toll to move faster. These are called HOT lanes, for high occupancy or toll.