VA 267 Dulles Greenway Route Map 

The Dulles Greenway is a 14 mile extension of the Dulles Toll Toad.  The Dulles Greenway runs from VA 28 at Dulles Airport to the US 15 Bypass just south of Leesburg, VA.  The road carries the VA 267 designation.  The Dulles Greenway was built by and is owned by a private corporation by the name of Toll Road Investors Partnership II (TRIP II).  It was the first private toll road built in Virginia since 1816.

The Dulles Greenway opened on September 29, 1995.  Although it is an excellent way to avoid traffic on VA 28 and VA 7 to Leesburg, it was not an instant hit.  People did not want to pay the high tolls that the road had instituted.  The initial toll on the Dulles Greenway was $1.75.  The $1.75 was in addition to the tolls of about $1.00 from the Beltway to VA 28 on the existing Dulles Toll Road.  This made a total toll of about $6.00 total round trip from Leesburg to The Capital Beltway.  This was too much for some to pay.  The result of the public's dislike of the high tolls was low traffic counts (approximately 10,500 vehicles a day on a prediction of 30,000 vehicles per day) when the Greenway opened.  This resulted in revenue short falls for TRIP II, the owners of the Dulles Greenway.  I remember hearing on the radio that VDOT and the State of Virginia were requesting scheduled payments for various expenses from the Greenway construction and the Greenway owners could not pay.  Agreements were made that allowed the Dulles Greenway to continue operation and defer some of these payments.  Another hot topic on the radio around the time that the road opened was whether or not the road would even survive.  The argument was that people would not pay the high tolls to travel on the road.

Today, the Dulles Greenway has become more popular as Loudoun County has experienced its development boom.  Traffic on the Greenway has certainly increased substantially since 1995.  In the year 2000, on an average weekday the Dulles Greenway handled about 46,000 vehicles and on an average weekend day about 23,000 vehicles.  The Greenway has been widened to 3 lanes eastbound for five miles from Exit 6 (VA 772 Ashburn) to the Main Toll Plaza.  A project to add an additional westbound lane in the same area began in the Spring of 2001.  Furthermore, tolls at the Main Toll Plaza have also come down to an average of $1.50 depending on whether or not you use Smart Tag and whether it is a weekday or weekend.  Personally, I think that the Dulles Greenway still lags behind in traffic counts compared to the traditional route to Leesburg of VA 28 and VA 7.  I don't know whether this is because of the combined tolls of the Dulles Toll Road and the Dulles Greenway or because the Greenway goes directly to Leesburg and doesn't serve the communities on VA 28 north of the Greenway and those communities on VA 7.  I can tell you that the Dulles Greenway is much quicker than taking other roads to Leesburg.  Whether it is worth the tolls or not is a decision that (for me at least) is made by time of day.  Hence, during rush hour, I take the Greenway.  At other times of the day, I take VA 28 and VA 7 as they move right along despite the many traffic lights.

The Dulles Greenway uses the Smart Tag automated toll collection system.  At each toll plaza, there are lanes designated for Smart Tag only.  There is a toll discount and a frequent driver program (called VIP Miles) for Smart Tag users.  I would like to see The Greenway construct high speed Smart Tag lanes at the Main Toll Plaza.  These lanes would allow Smart Tag users to pass through the toll plaza at speed much like the high speed toll lanes on DE 1 south of the Canal Crossing.

Information on toll amounts on the Dulles Greenway can be found on their home page (click on General Information).  It is interesting to note that there is a toll discount for all users on weekends.  Please note that you must have Smart Tag or a credit card at all toll plazas except the Main Toll Plaza and at Exit 8 Old Ox Road during the dominant flow rush hour.  The Main Toll Plaza at VA 28 is the only one that is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The toll booths at Exit 8 Old Ox Road are manned eastbound from 6 AM to 9 AM and westbound from 4 PM to 7 PM.  You'll need Smart Tag or a credit card at Exit 8 at all other times.

Here are some web sites related to the Dulles Greenway:

Dulles Greenway Official Web Page
Autostrade International of Virginia O&M, Inc.: Website of the company that maintains and operates the Greenway
Smart Tag Home Page

Additional source for this page: Dulles Greenway Home Page (www.dullesgreenway.com) and The Washington Post.

On the Exit List, read down to go east and read up to go west.

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08/01/01