The Virginia Department of (Road) Transportation has indicated what plan it prefers for the I-66 Express Lanes project.  Although VDOT had indicated it will shorten the project, the reduction will take place at the western end of the project.

The Do No Harm approach that would preserve the Dunn Loring community is continuing to be rejected by VDOT.  Note that public meetings on VDOT’s design have been set for October 19 (Oakton High School, Vienna), October 20 (VDOT NoVa headquarters, Fairfax), and October 21 (Piney Branch Elementary School, Bristow).  All begin at 6:30 PM. Please plan to attend one or more of these meetings.

Dr. Gridlock at the Washington Post has more:

“Virginia transportation officials want to go with a slightly shorter version of the high-occupancy toll lanes on I-66 outside the Capital Beltway, at least to start.

The “preferred alternative” presented this week by the Virginia Department of Transportation would stretch 22 miles between the Beltway and University Boulevard in Gainesville. The originally envisioned 25-mile route out to Route 15 in Haymarket could be completed later, as funding allows and as travel demand requires, VDOT officials said.

Another cost-saving change from the initial plan: The existing ramps and bridges at Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road would be retained and converted to HOT lanes access points, rather than rebuilt as interchanges. That rebuilding also could be part of a follow-up phase.”

— Full Article from Dr. Gridlock: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/09/16/vdot-shows-its-preferred-plan-for-i-66-hot-lanes/