A history question about the 14th Street Bridge

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   Someone asked a question about the 14th Street Bridge in Dr. Gridlock's online chat today:

	When I drive to work in the morning (Alexandria to downtown via 14th Street Bridge) there is a place just near the Pentagon where I can go in a chute off to the left, onto what is marked an HOV lane but the sign always says "open" and lots of singletons go that way. It takes me onto a different section of road that is separate from but parallel to what I call the "regular" 14th Street Bridge, and it's usually faster and easier. Is that normally an HOV-3 lane, except right now it's open to all for now as a way to alleviate problems from the bridge construction? When the bridge construction is finished, am I going to lose my permission to drive there? Thanks!

	The ramp in question is the one just east of the Pentagon City shopping mall. I'm sure most people here are quite familiar with it as the spot where the single-occupant vehicles flood into the express lanes. (The traditional term "express lanes" is most appropriate there since the HOV restriction does not apply over the bridge.)

	I submitted an answer to the question noting that the ramp in question was originally always closed, and that HOV extended into DC, but that sometime in the early 1990s this was changed due to roadwork on the inbound 14th Street Bridge and that the restriction was never re-imposed, presumably in part due to the likelihood of a commuter revolt. But what I don't remember is what the details were of when that ramp opened and what was said at the time.

	Does anyone remember the backstory on when that ramp opened and what the roadwork was? I figured this site is probably the most likely place to find someone who recalls the full story. I did a Google search but couldn't find anything in detail. I know that ramp was open by 1994 because I remember using it, for the first time in my life, when I was going to a wedding downtown on December 31, 1994. (I recall the date primarily because I recall the very good New Year's Eve party held that night by a friend who also attended that wedding.)

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USA Members Profile Find Members Posts New Slug Joined: 06 Jun 2002 Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote USA Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: A history question about the 14th Street Bridge Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 2:38pm
	Someone asked a question about the 14th Street Bridge in Dr. Gridlock's online chat today: When I drive to work in the morning (Alexandria to downtown via 14th Street Bridge) there is a place just near the Pentagon where I can go in a chute off to the left, onto what is marked an HOV lane but the sign always says "open" and lots of singletons go that way. It takes me onto a different section of road that is separate from but parallel to what I call the "regular" 14th Street Bridge, and it's usually faster and easier. Is that normally an HOV-3 lane, except right now it's open to all for now as a way to alleviate problems from the bridge construction? When the bridge construction is finished, am I going to lose my permission to drive there? Thanks! The ramp in question is the one just east of the Pentagon City shopping mall. I'm sure most people here are quite familiar with it as the spot where the single-occupant vehicles flood into the express lanes. (The traditional term "express lanes" is most appropriate there since the HOV restriction does not apply over the bridge.) I submitted an answer to the question noting that the ramp in question was originally always closed, and that HOV extended into DC, but that sometime in the early 1990s this was changed due to roadwork on the inbound 14th Street Bridge and that the restriction was never re-imposed, presumably in part due to the likelihood of a commuter revolt. But what I don't remember is what the details were of when that ramp opened and what was said at the time. Does anyone remember the backstory on when that ramp opened and what the roadwork was? I figured this site is probably the most likely place to find someone who recalls the full story. I did a Google search but couldn't find anything in detail. I know that ramp was open by 1994 because I remember using it, for the first time in my life, when I was going to a wedding downtown on December 31, 1994. (I recall the date primarily because I recall the very good New Year's Eve party held that night by a friend who also attended that wedding.)

sluDgE Members Profile Find Members Posts Master Slug Joined: 27 Oct 2003 Status: Offline Points: 501	Post Options Post Reply Quote sluDgE Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 Jul 2010 at 4:49pm
	I couldn't find anything about the reason why, and when, the 14th Street HOV bridge was opened to all traffic; but it was prior to 1999 based on information contained in a February 1999 document titled I-95/I-395 HOV RESTRICTION STUDY . The study was done for VDOT by a team of contractors led by BMI, and their report can be seen at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/studynova-hov395finalrpt.asp One of the study's five recommendations for potential further study was to "5. Evaluate restoration of HOV restrictions on the 14th Street Bridge river crossing."