Posted on 12/16/2018 11:17:18 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Commuters who live in western Prince William and Fauquier counties can leave the driving to someone else come Dec. 17 when a new bus begins round-trip service from Haymarket to Arlington.
The “OmniRide Haymarket Express” will make four trips in the morning and four return trips in the afternoon and early evening. It will run along I-66 between Haymarket and the Rosslyn Metro station. The trips will originate from the new park-and-ride lot on the northeast corner of U.S. 15 and Interstate 66.
The Monday-through Friday service is meant to give workers an alternative to traveling by car.
It’s the first commuter bus service from Haymarket. Omniride – part of the Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission – runs commuter bus routes from the Cushing Road commuter lot, outside Gainesville, and from Linton Hall Road. But the service has never before extended so far west.
The Heathcote Commuter Lot is one of several being built as part of the ongoing “Tranform I-66” project, a $3.7 billion public-private partnership to add toll lanes and more commuter options on I-66 outside the beltway.
The OmniRide service will leave the Heathcote lot at 5:33 a.m., 6:18 a.m.,7:03 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. Return service from Rosslyn to Haymarket will be at 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Along the way, the bus will make stops along Heathcote Boulevard at Abberley Loop, Legend Drive and Trek Way.
According to Del. Danica Roem, the new route is getting an early start due in part to new funding made available this year though state legislation that increased gas-tax collections for transit programs. The change placed a “floor” on the per-gallon price for the regional motor-fuels tax, which keeps receipts from plunging when gas prices fall.
“I’m working with PRTC on getting three more stops: Two on the north side of Heathcote and one near Heritage Hunt,” said Roem, D-13th.
Ridership is expected to grow, and additional morning and afternoon/evening trips can be added then, said Christine Rodrigo, public relations specialist for the PRTC.
In Arlington, the bus will be going to five Metro stops: Ballston at N. Taylor Street, Virginia Square-GMU at N. Lincoln Street, Clarendon at N. Filmore Street, Courthouse Square at N. Wayne Street and Rosslyn at N. Kent Street.
Riders will get a break on the fares while the I-66 improvements are under way. Tickets are half price until construction is complete. Effectively, that means passengers will enjoy a cut rate until 2022.
“The Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation want to encourage commuters to use transit while construction of the I-66 Express Lanes is under way, so all of OmniRide’s routes that travel along I-66 are half-price until construction is complete,” Rodrigo said.
The bus will cost $6.60 cash each way or $3.45 with a SmarTrip card.
The Haymarket commuter parking lot will have 230 parking spaces for commuters. It will have shelters for passengers waiting for the bus. It’ll also be equipped with bicycle racks.
Haymarket Mayor David Leake said he sees the bus service as a plus for the community.
It “gives our residents and surrounding community additional transportation options to better their commutes,” Leake said in an email.
It also will have “green” benefits since those on the bus would otherwise be driving, he said. The riders won’t have the stress of driving and be able to use their “down time” on the bus in more relaxing ways.
According to Del. Danica Roem, the new route is getting an early start due in part to new funding made available this year though state legislation that increased gas-tax collections for transit programs. The change placed a “floor” on the per-gallon price for the regional motor-fuels tax, which keeps receipts from plunging when gas prices fall.
PING.
Wow, the suburbs of DC are extending farther and farther out.
Then I realize some live so far out, because inner suburbs of Washington are so damn expensive, that many can’t afford to live closer in.
Off topic a bit, but, some who push high density development and public transit, fail to see that some commute from distant areas because they can’t afford housing closer in.
Eh, they could probably afford to move closer in if governments didn’t keep trying to prop up property values and create “open space” areas. The open space and federal programs undoubtedly make close-in housing expensive, just like the further-out housing.
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