WTOP reports, motorists have been using the last completed section of 66 Express Lanes since last week, but the facility’s formal inauguration took place yesterday in the presence of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Ferrovial executives, including chairman Rafael del Pino and CEO Ignacio Madridejos. The entire 22.5-mile network of dynamically tolled lanes is now operational, somewhat ahead of schedule. “These improvements,” said Youngkin, “will serve countless commuters, (and) provide convenient access to major employment and activity hubs, while helping to transport essential goods and services quickly and efficiently.”
Construction of the $3.6 billion facility was “one of the largest [P3] projects undertaken in the infrastructure area in the United States this century,” according to a news release issued by Ferrovial, the parent company of the Cintra-led consortium that financed and built the lanes and will now operate them under a 50-year Virginia DOT concession. In addition to highlighting the monitoring and communication technology embedded in the lane infrastructure, Ferrovial’s release notes that 66 Express is the fifth US managed lane facility now under its control, the others being the three TEXpress facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth and I-77 Express in North Carolina.