VIRGINIA, USA — The Virginia Department of Transportation took the first step toward putting hot lanes on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
On Thursday, the D.C. region's transportation partners held a Zoom meeting. During the meeting they approved conducting multiple studies to determine whether or not adding these hot lanes would be beneficial or not.
The studies will include the air quality with express lanes on the bridge and one without. Just because these studies are being conducted doesn't mean we'll be seeing express lanes along the Woodrow Wilson bridge anytime soon.
With opposition coming from both sides of the Potomac, the D.C. Region's Transportation Board brokered a compromise to help drive the process forward. More than 50 members of D.C. Regional Transportation Planning Board from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and their federal partners met Thursday to discuss updating its 25-year-long transportation plan.
Members with VDOT want to add hot lanes that would span from Springfield to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
“This multimodal project will benefit commuters and travelers throughout the region.” Angel Deem, VDOT's chief of policy said during the meeting.
VDOT says adding these lanes would help with traffic and add money to the transportation budget. The express lanes could also double as HOV and bus lanes.
Prince George's County Councilman Eric Olsen says the lanes will do the opposite. Olsen believes the lanes will add congestion to the county and create environmental challenges.
“Nobody in Prince George’s County signed off on this initiation of this project. Nor was even asked.” Councilman Olsen said during the Zoom meeting.
However, Thursday's meeting wasn't about making the project happen, it was to discuss the air quality conformity analysis. It also important to note that the middle lane of the bridge is reserved for a future Metro line. The board reiterated that even if the express lanes are added to the bridge, plans for the Metro will not change.