As a follow up to this post,
The consortium that has offered Virginia a lump sum of more than $1 billion in exchange for revenue on the Dulles Toll Road for 50 years has outlined 19 upgrades to the highway that it hopes will help sway public opinion in favor of the unusual proposal. Topping the list are improvements to the ramps that link the eastern end of the toll road to the Capital Beltway. A new ramp would take drivers directly from the Beltway to the Dulles Airport Access Road, a separate roadway that is not part of the proposed deal. A direct link to the access road would allow drivers to avoid cutting across several lanes of traffic on the toll road, a maneuver that causes daily tie-ups. The group also wants to upgrade the ramps that take drivers from the toll road to the outer loop of the Beltway. The consortium said it would immediately begin repaving the eight-lane road, a project that it said could be completed in about four months, and would refurbish several bridges and sound walls along the route. Most of the other fixes would involve widening or lengthening ramp lanes and converting toll plazas so that fees would be paid electronically, changes that would improve traffic flow by easing backups, the group said.
According to the article, none of the 19 improvements is proposed, scheduled or funded as part of the state’s six-year transportation plan. Full story here. UPDATE: According to TollRoadsNews, the Washington Post has been mischaracterizing the PPP proposal. Apparently, no lump sum offer is on the table; rather, the consortium would take over road improvements and costs for providing passenger rail out to Loudoun County in return for the toll concession. Keep an eye on TollRoadsNews for more on this story as it develops.