A toll charge for drivers on the I-66 near Washington DC which changes depending on traffic volumes has spiked at a near-record $46.75 for a single occupancy journey.
The Washington Post reports that the tolls are based on a dynamic pricing system, which changes the rate every six minutes, based on speed and traffic volumes.
It says many drivers — and some politicians — have complained about the fluctuating and high toll rates on a stretch of road running along ten miles of I-66 inside the Beltway in Northern Virginia. Carpool and public transportation vehicles don’t pay the toll.
A spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation told the newspaper that traffic experts were looking more into what was causing the spike in toll rates but that it may not be any one thing in particular — just simple volume. The report adds that typically, transportation officials have said the high tolls reflect the congested traffic conditions on other area roadways.
The paper has checked and says that at the time there were no major accidents on area roads in Northern Virginia, but there was heavy traffic along roads around Ballston and along the highway coming into the District and along the Theodore Roosevelt bridge.
Picture credit: Washington Post
