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I've been confused by the express lanes on I-66 and the beltway for some time. The signage is confusing and since I don't have to drive there regularly, I've not tried to figure it out. I gather that if I stay in the regular lanes and avoid the express lanes, nothing has changed. Ok by me.

Assuming the above is correct, I'm slightly surprised by the current furor. The HOV lanes were installed years ago to promote carpooling. But carpooling remains the exception, not the rule, so the HOV lanes are hugely underutilized -- or would be, except that a lot of solo commuters have been using them illegally. I gather that it's the illegal freeriders who are complaining now. People with legitimate carpools still don't have to pay the toll.

As I understand it, the current action merely opens the HOV lanes to solo commuters who are willing to pay a fare. This is an expansion of availability, not a contraction. This makes sense. That said, the sticker shock is understandable. The pro-toll people, mostly Democrats, talked in terms of $6-7, and tolls were a tough sell at that price. But when they rolled it out this week, the variable tolls hit $34 the first day and spiked over $40 the second day. Promises made, promises broken, quite in the spirit of Obamacare.

What Virginia really should have done is start with a $6 toll, perhaps with a variable peak at $10 at maximum congestion, and see if that helped. The toll could always be raised more if necessary. I'm not opposed in principle to tolls to ration traffic in high congestion areas, but ya gotta be a little smart in how you roll them out.

The variable toll is economics at its best. It only comes into play when so many single-occupancy cars use the express lanes that it causes traffic to slow down.

Freeways have traditionally been designed to maximize the flow of vehicles. This scheme in VA is aimed at maximizing the flow of PASSENGERS.

I gather that if I stay in the regular lanes and avoid the express lanes, nothing has changed.
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The number of lanes on Route 66 between the 495 beltway and DC remains the same - 2 lanes eastbound and 2 lanes westbound. No new lanes were constructed.

During the scheduled hours there are no free lanes, as they temporarily become “express” lanes with toll for solo drivers.

Simultaneously they are designated HOV-2 for which you will need an E-Z Pass “Flex” device set to HOV mode to travel toll free. This will change to HOV-3 in 2022.

The applicable hours and direction are as follows: Monday through Friday - 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. Eastbound, and 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Westbound. The lanes are free with no tolling or HOV requirements at all other times.

http://www.66expresslanes.org/