NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — High-occupancy tolling operations are expected to begin along the Hampton Roads Express Lanes in Chesapeake and Norfolk starting at 5 a.m. Sunday, March 17.
The 24-hour tolling operations aim to provide additional travel choices along the I-64, as well as providing travel time reliability.
Motorists traveling alone will be required to either pay a toll for each Express Lane segment using either a standard E-ZPass transponder or and E-ZPass Flex switched to “HOV-Off.” Motorists with two or more passengers will be able to use the Express Lanes for free with the required E-ZPass Flex switched to “HOV-On.”
The Chesapeake Segment of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes, which opened Feb. 18 between the I-664/I-264 interchange in Chesapeake and the I-264 interchange in Norfolk, had a month-long free introductory period for drivers to familiarize themselves with the new lanes.
The already existing I-64 Norfolk Reversible Express Lanes, located between the I-264 and I-564 interchanges, will now also operate as a full-time, continuous high-occupancy tolling operation.
Each Express Lane is expected to adjust the toll prices depending on traffic conditions. As congestion rises within the Express Lanes, the price of the toll is set to increase.
“The tolls in the Hampton Roads Express Lanes are dynamically priced,” said Nina Ullrich, a senior communications specialist with the Virginia Department of Transportation, “and they adjust approximately every five minutes to help manage congestion … so easily put, when there is more congestion in the Express Lanes, we’re going to see the tolls increase, and that’s to deter people from taking the Express Lanes.”
She also said the toll revenue would stay in Hampton Roads, and VDOT would use it to build out and maintain roads in the region.
