Freeway Congestion In The Washington Region Presentation to National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board February 15, 2006 Item # 9

2 FREEWAY CONGESTION MONITORING Background –300 mile system monitored every 3 years since 1993 (5 surveys to date) –3 hours in the AM and 3 hours in the PM –Photographs taken on multiple days (minimum of 3 days) with typical, recurring conditions –Density in passenger cars per mile per lane of freeway segments used to identify congestion –2005 survey compared with 2002 survey and prior surveys (1999, 1996, 1993).

3 Levels of Service (LOS) Based on Density –LOS “E and F” considered as congested

OVERALL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

AM Peak Period (6 AM to 9 AM)

PM Peak Period (4:30 PM to 7:30 PM)

% 20% 15% 10% 5%

SEGMENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

9 I-95 in Virginia / EVENING DEGRADED CONDITIONS (General trend toward more congestion at the HOV lane merge no significant capacity changes)

10 DULLES TOLL ROAD / MORNING Addition of a fourth (HOV) lane was completed prior to the 1999 survey, resulting in improved eastbound flow; however, further LOS degradation is evident since then. (The Greenway has channeled additional traffic into this corridor.) DEGRADED CONDITONS

11 (General trend toward more congestion on the Beltway; no significant capacity changes) DEGRADED CONDITIONS I-495 (BELTWAY) vicinity College Park / EVENING

12 IMPROVED CONDITIONS US 50 in Maryland / MORNING Prior to the survey in 2005, an HOV lane was added to US 50 in each direction (24- hour enforcement). The additional capacity of the highway has dramatically improved traffic flow on US 50.

13 I-495 (BELTWAY) vicinity Springfield / EVENING IMPROVED CONDITIONS (Widened exit ramps opened prior to 2005 survey) (During the height of construction, outer loop congestion was particularly severe) ( , extensive exit queues were found, but intermittently)

14 DC 295 at US 50 / EVENING It appears that completion of construction on US 50 has resulted in improved eastbound flow, which may now be generating downstream congestion at the DC 295 merge. MIXED RESULTS

SIGNIFICANT CHANGE DUE TO IMPROVEMENT COMPLETED AFTER SPRING 2005 : THE BELTWAY OUTER LOOP TO THE DULLES TOLL ROAD

16 After the Spring 2005 survey VDOT opened a second lane on the off-ramp from SB I-495 to WB VA 267. SKYCOMP conducted additional AM and PM flights in December 2005 and January The following two slides show the improvements during the AM and PM peak hour. A SIGNIFICANT RECENT IMPROVEMENT: ADDITION OF THE SECOND LANE ON EXIT RAMP FROM I-495 TO VA 267

17 I-495 Outer Loop (8 to 9 AM) I-495 Improvement due to 2 nd lane on exit ramp at VA 267

18 I-495 Outer Loop (5:30 to 6:30 PM) I-495 Improvement due to 2 nd lane on exit ramp at VA 267

19 Spring 2005 (8 to 9 AM) Winter 2005/2006 (8 to 9 AM)

20 –The addition of the extra lane on the off-ramp produced a dramatic improvement. –Outer loop traffic which used to back up to I-270 now flows freely during the AM and PM peaks. –The interchange downstream of the improvement has to be watched for future problems. The on-ramp from EB VA 267 and the off ramp to WB VA 123 are becoming congested due to weaving and traffic backing up from a signal on VA 123. FINDINGS FROM THE ADDITION OF 2 ND LANE EXIT RAMP TO WB VA 267 FROM SB I-495

21 Freeway Segments with the Most Significant Changes (2002 to 2005)

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24 Top Ten Congested Segments on the Freeway System (2005)

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26 Overall Study Findings –Total lane miles of congestion have increased significantly since 2002 throughout both the AM and PM peak periods, with the greatest increase (64%) in the first hour of the PM peak (4.30 to 5.30pm). –Congestion is generally in the peak travel direction only during AM and PM peak periods. Exceptions are the 14 th street bridge (AM and PM), I-66 inside the Beltway (AM and PM), the Wilson Bridge (AM), and the northwestern portion of the Beltway (PM) which are congested in both directions. – Capacity increases have improved conditions at certain locations (US 50, Springfield Interchange, Capital Beltway at Dulles Toll Road). –Locations downstream of major improvements need to be monitored for potential future problems.

27 Tackling Recurring Freeway Congestion – Short Run Capacity Increases To Address Bottlenecks Adequate freeway to freeway, freeway to arterial, and arterial to freeway connections High Occupancy Toll (HOT) or Express Toll Lanes (ETL) Transit and Demand Management Adequate transit funding and capacity Ridesharing and telecommuting

28 Tackling Recurring Freeway Congestion – Longer Run Alternative Land Use/Transportation Futures (Regional Mobility and Accessibility Study) More Households in Activity Centers –More households in the region located in regional activity centers –Supporting transit improvements Region Undivided –Some job and household growth shifted from West to East –Supporting transit improvements