Drivers seeing high toll rates for I-66 express lanes

How much are you willing to pay to get around traffic?

This week along the I-66 express lanes outside the Beltway in Northern Virginia, the tolls have been some of the highest we have ever seen.

Rates are as high as $30, $60 and even $80 for the longest trips at peak times.

It was $80.95 to go from the northbound general purpose lanes of the Beltway to the westbound general purpose lanes exit in Gainesville.

It was $59.60 to go from westbound Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax to University Boulevard in Gainesville.

And $29.95 to go from the southbound beltway express lanes to Chain Bridge Road in Fairfax.

These are all snapshots of prices from the I-66 express lanes outside the Beltway Tuesday night.

When News4 asked officials what is going on with these higher prices, they said no doubt more people are using the lanes.

I-66 Express Mobility Partners said in a statement, “While those screenshots show a snapshot of toll rates during a peak-of-peak hour (4:30 pm to 5:30 pm), they’re not representative of average toll rates – but they are indicative of the express lanes working as intended under a managed-lane dynamic pricing model.”

The operator of the express lanes is contractually obligated to give riders a speedy trip of at least 55 miles per hour, even during rush hours. And the way dynamic pricing works is the more people in the lanes, the higher the prices can go to discourage the lanes from becoming clogged. There is no cap to how high the tolls can go.

Commuter Naresh doesn’t like what he’s seeing and said the prices should come down.

“You are pushing the people with the higher prices to the more congested road, and you are leaving the express lane empty,” he said.

“I wish I felt like having them added to 66 improved traffic on 66 at all,” said Sarah, another commuter.

If you have a carpool of three or more people, you can always use the express lanes for free.

Express lane leaders told News4 they have seen an uptick in carpools as well. Commuter buses are also able to use the express lanes at no cost.