Five years of driving hell... and more

Bogie · 10-10-2008, 12:10 PM

Virginia, despite a massive budget shortfall, has decided to move forward with a nearly 1 billion dollar five year plan to construct "hot lanes" (HOT) along the very corridor I commute through every day. Construction has begun. Lanes have been squeezed...I see fender bender accidents every day apparently due to the tight squeeze. Then there are the trucks, gravel, dirt, debris all over the place. I get to look forward to this for the next FIVE YEARS

And once it's all complete, considering the infrastructure all these cars dump into is NOT being updated, it will become a massive collection of vehicles at my off ramp...so I get to spend the rest of my working life wading through a sea of cars over my last quarter mile to work.

Oh, and I'm sure they will be raising taxes because they're already out of money.

Welcome to Northern Virginia!

Quote:

GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
TIMELIINE
Summer 2008 – 2011
• Construct 4 new outer lanes
(Two on each side)
• Demolish and rebuild all Beltway interchanges
2011 – 2012
• Shift Beltway traffic into new outer lanes
• Construct HOT Lanes on inner 2 lanes
2013 – HOT Lanes open

TulsaSky · 10-10-2008, 01:03 PM

Now Now you have several options really

(1) Take a back road, less driven by anyone, set your alarm earlier and enjoy the new scenes. Who knows you may find a lovely winding road down a country lane.
(2) Move, heck you need a garage for the Sky anyway, right? Rent your current home and move back in 5 years

(3) Move, but to another warmer state, new job move up in your chosen field, (engineering) like there are lots of jobs all over America, maybe

Adapt Bogie they are giving you no other choice

I feel your frustration though they are working on a stretch of my daily highway commute adding those little seam stabilizing blocks, so far it has been just a 55mph slow down zone.

TulsaSky

**G8TR** · 10-10-2008, 03:38 PM

Here in Tampa where I-4 and I-275 come together we have what they call malfunction junction. Now I'm sure everyone has something like it close to them if they live in a major city, however, they have been either working on it and the surrounding roads for the last eight years and the section they are working now has a completion date of 2012. Bogie, I only wish that we had to only endure five years, by the time they finish it will have been 12 for us.

murrayn2rock · 10-10-2008, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogie

Virginia, despite a massive budget shortfall, has decided to move forward with a nearly 1 billion dollar five year plan to construct "hot lanes" (HOT) along the very corridor I commute through every day. Construction has begun. Lanes have been squeezed...I see fender bender accidents every day apparently due to the tight squeeze. Then there are the trucks, gravel, dirt, debris all over the place. I get to look forward to this for the next FIVE YEARS

And once it's all complete, considering the infrastructure all these cars dump into is NOT being updated, it will become a massive collection of vehicles at my off ramp...so I get to spend the rest of my working life wading through a sea of cars over my last quarter mile to work.

Oh, and I'm sure they will be raising taxes because they're already out of money.

Welcome to Northern Virginia!

Sorry for the future headaches you'll be having.

In times like these don't you wish you had a helicopter.

MidniteBlues · 10-10-2008, 09:27 PM

Here ya go partner..

This song and your avatar, should get ya thru..

YouTube - Alizée - Les filles dans les voitures "girls in cars"

Darkwing · 10-10-2008, 10:40 PM

Check the funding Bogie, the project was probably rolled into some unrelated pork barrel funding like a bill to furnish low cost snowshoes to the poor in Montana. In reality, an additional lane can be constructed by phasing in the construcion to keep traffic disruptions at a minimum. Apparently the contractor is working on a time and material project, and the politicians want to make sure you can see your tax dollars at work for as long as possible.

PaulChristenson · 10-11-2008, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogie

Virginia, despite a massive budget shortfall, has decided to move forward with a nearly 1 billion dollar five year plan to construct "hot lanes" (HOT) along the very corridor I commute through every day. Construction has begun. Lanes have been squeezed...I see fender bender accidents every day apparently due to the tight squeeze. Then there are the trucks, gravel, dirt, debris all over the place. I get to look forward to this for the next FIVE YEARS

And once it's all complete, considering the infrastructure all these cars dump into is NOT being updated, it will become a massive collection of vehicles at my off ramp...so I get to spend the rest of my working life wading through a sea of cars over my last quarter mile to work.

Oh, and I'm sure they will be raising taxes because they're already out of money.

Welcome to Northern Virginia!

The day I left the DC rat race was the best day of my life...BP dropped...can park my car without worrying if it'll be there or at least in one piece when I get back...NO RUSH HOUR...I sympathize with you...while I was there the Beltway went from 55mph at rush hour to 25mph...

Lived in Wesley Heights, DC, then Glen Echo, MD and finally Vienna VA...The saving grace was that my vehicles were registered in FLORIDA due to military service...otherwise, I could never have afforded a new car with those VA Personal Property TAXES!!!

malina · 10-13-2008, 11:43 PM

I feel so bad for you. I used to have the worst commute EVER. I tried to ease the pain by getting to work super early and leaving early to avoid most of the traffic (although getting up early is another pain in itself for me). Then I moved and now everything is peachy. That's easy for me to say though since I didn't and still don't have a mortgage or kids.

I wasted far too much time and (negative) energy commuting. I truly feel for those who have no choice.

Jouster · 10-14-2008, 06:18 AM

Yeah, best decision I ever made was to live about four miles from work. I pay an extra $500 a month in rent compared to living somewhere else, but I easily save $500 between the gas and the frustration I'd expend if I had a long commute.

Is it an option to move, Bogie?

Bogie · 10-14-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jouster

Yeah, best decision I ever made was to live about four miles from work. I pay an extra $500 a month in rent compared to living somewhere else, but I easily save $500 between the gas and the frustration I'd expend if I had a long commute.

Is it an option to move, Bogie?

Not really. I'm pretty optimally placed as it is. I have two offices and my current residence is about halfway between each one (~9 miles each way). The cost to move closer to either one is substantially more than what I pay now. In fact, I would not be able to afford my home now if I were in the market. My thirty minute commute is actually substantially better than most other folks around here...some run two and three hours.