Background:

The I-66 corridor outside the 495 Beltway experiences some of the worst congestion in the region. The traffic volumes approach 220,000 in Fairfax County. In the peak direction of travel, a number of ramps and sections of the freeway operate at Level of Service F (speed < 20 miles/hour). Travel demand is expected to continue to increase in major employment centers such as Arlington, Washington DC, Tysons, and Dulles. This increase will result in heavy traffic extending further into the off-peak periods than what is experienced today.

The I-66 P3 Project is a managed lanes concession public-private partnership project for the design, build, financing, maintenance and operations (“DBFOM”) of a 22.5-mile (36-km) corridor on I-66 in northern Virginia outside the Capital Beltway around Washington, DC. . Having opened in November 2022, the Project aims to decrease congestion and move people and traffic in a quicker, more reliable way throughout the corridor. The procuring authority is the Virginia Department of Transportation (“VDOT”) who has completed three P3 projects to date.

Stage:

In Operation

ESG/SDG Key Facts

Engagement with the local community continues on a monthly basis, with over 400 community/business meetings since project inception. As part of the company’s mission to participate with the local community, the Project also supported the Foundation for Fairfax County School’s “Collect for Kids” program, providing 114 students at 3 local elementary schools with the tools they need to succeed in the school year, sponsored the Prince William County School’s Foundation’s Science and Engineering Fair providing teachers resources to prepare students for the fair, logistical support and prizes for the winners across ten STEM categories, partnered with the Fairfax County Park Foundation to host Starlight Cinema, a summer community movie series, and led a stream and park clean up at E.C. Lawrence Park along the project corridor.
Each year, SPARK, the education foundation for PWCS (Prince William County Schools), identifies business and community partnerships making the most positive impact on academics and student achievement(1). In 2020, three businesses were presented with a Partnership of the Year award:

– Amazon Web Services (AWS) in partnership with River Oaks Elementary School
– Food Lion Store #1249 in partnership with Forest Park High School
– I-66 Express Mobility Partners in partnership with the Office of Student Learning, Science and Family Life Education

The project is also constructing 11 miles of shared use/bicycle path adjacent or near I-66 which will connect to regional trail networks.

SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)

The Project Company has an internal policy to promote emission reduction (Energy Management System, Facility developed at State equivalent of LEED green building standards & Monitoring system for carbon
emission reduction). The I-66 Project plans on putting in place initiatives to raise awareness of “eco-driving”, in addition to their ‘park-n-ride’ facilities for group commuting and promoting the use of electric/connected and autonomous vehicles (“CAV”) through the implementation of AIVIA4F initiatives.

SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)

The Project Company is undertaking an analysis of ways to incorporate the upcoming AIVIA(2) technology which will support CAVs in making I-66 safer through technology.

Sources:(1) https://ride66express.com/news/i-66-emp-and-spark-mark-continued-partnership-with-check-presentation/

(2)AIVIA’s (Orchestrated Connected Corridors) main goal is to set the standard for the infrastructure and technology of the future in which conventional, connected and autonomous vehicles can co-exist harmoniously and that the maximum benefits of those technologies can be leveraged to maximize safety and traffic flow on our highways.