Recently Removed I-66/Fairfax Drive Improvement
Would Relieve One of Nation’s/Region’s Worst Bottlenecks

A recent study of the nation’s traffic bottlenecks finds that I-66 westbound at Fairfax Drive (exit 71) is one of the worst

The I-66 Westbound Spot Improvements recently removed from the region’s long range transportation plan by the National Capital Region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) were designed to relieve this bottleneck.

The study conducted by Intrix, a traffic analysis firm from Washington State, finds that five of Northern Virginia’s 14 worst bottlenecks occur on I-66 inside the Beltway.

The Fairfax Drive to Sycamore Street section of I-66 averages 34 hours of congestion a week, with average speeds of 18.6 MPH while congested. Nationally, this ranks as the nation’s 209th worst intersection. In voting to drop this improvement from the region’s plan the TPB jeopardized nearly $30 million in dedicated federal funding set aside for the project that could start later this year.

The TPB’s action was taken despite findings of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s 2004-2005 feasibility study and a subsequent 2006 traffic study which identified this section of I-66 as the most congested section and a Commonwealth Transportation Board decision that the spot improvements represented the best immediate solution.

For more on other area choke points and the study’s methodology, click here.

With Planning Decisions Like This,
It’s No Mystery Why
Region’s Congestion Among Nation’s Worst