UMD-ITS Host Seminar Featuring Kimley Horn Engineers

On Thursday March 3^rd, University of Maryland ITS-ITE student chapter held a seminar, in which Mr. Jiaxin Tong and Mr. Edwin Cheng from Kimley-Horn presented their recent project with VDOT and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). The topic of the seminar is “Transform 66 Outside the Beltway –Multimodal Solutions from 495 to Haymarket”. The goal of the project is to transform 25 miles of I-66 from U.S. Route 15 in Haymarket to I-495/Capital Beltway into a multimodal corridor that moves traffic and people more efficiently. Under the proposed plan, I-66 would be improve to provide:

Three regular lanes and two express lanes in each direction

Dynamic toll prices to keep free-flow on express lanes

High-frequency bus service in the express lanes with predictable travel times

Enhanced commuter park and ride lots and direct access to express lanes

Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategies making it easier and more affordable to use alternative travel options

In addition, the improvement would be brought by the projects, details of modeling approaches, project schedule, and challenges were introduced by the presenters. The values of the project to the researchers and practitioners are: