I-66 is the main east-west Interstate Highway in Northern Virginia. It runs from from the Watergate area in Washington, DC and crosses into Virginia on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge. From there it runs through Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. Outside the Capital Beltway (I-495), I-66 serves Vienna, Fairfax, Fair Lakes, Centreville and Manassas. It terminates at I-81 in Strasburg after passing near Marshall, Front Royal, Gainesville and Haymarket.
I-66 between Gainesville and the Capital Beltway is habitually congested during AM and PM Rush Hours. For this reason, the left lane of I-66 between Manassas and the Capital Beltway in the rush direction is reserved for HOV-2 and Motorcycles only. Also, I-66 inside the Beltway has ALL LANES in the the rush direction reserved for HOV-2 and Motorcycles. This was one of the conditions that was agreed upon for the construction of I-66 inside the Beltway. The other condition for construction was that no heavy trucks would be allowed on I-66 inside the Beltway at any time.
I-66 has seen its share of controversy over the years. In the 60's and 70's, Arlington County residents and their government protested the construction of I-66 inside the Beltway. For a while, Arlington County had removed I-66 from its Master Plan of Highways. This controversy resulted in a largely scaled down I-66 inside the Beltway. The aforementioned HOV restrictions inside the Beltway were a part of this plan. Also, I-66 was to have a spur, I-266, that would have run from the current Spout Run Parkway exit across the Potomac River to a reconstructed Whitehurst Freeway. This road was cancelled during the DC Highway Revolt of the 70's. Finally, VDOT is currently using the right shoulder of I-66 between the Beltway and US 50 as a travel lane during the rush hours to maintain three general travel lanes while providing the left lane as an HOV-2 Lane. This has left I-66 without a shoulder during rush hour. Safety advocates have said this is not a good idea and should be changed. VDOT has not taken any action as they are contemplating whether or not I-66 should be widened through this stretch.
I'll now defer to a couple of excellent pages on the history and construction of I-66, especially inside the Capital Beltway.
Interstate 66 and Metrorail Vienna Route
by Scott Kozel
Kurumi's 3-digit Interstates from I-66
|
I-66 HOV Lane Information (Outside the Beltway) |
|
| AM Rush
Eastbound 5:30 - 9:00 AM |
HOV-2 and Motorcycles ONLY |
| PM Rush
Westbound 3:00 - 7:00 PM |
HOV-2 and Motorcycles ONLY |
| All Other Times | Open to All Traffic |
|
I-66 HOV Lane Information (Inside the Beltway) Please Note: During the following times, ALL LANES on I-66 inside the Beltway are restricted in the direction noted. Dulles Airport Traffic is permitted regardless of number in vehicle. |
|
| AM Rush
Eastbound 6:30 - 9:00 AM |
HOV-2 and Motorcycles ONLY |
| PM Rush
Westbound 4:00 - 6:30 PM |
HOV-2 and Motorcycles ONLY |
| All Other Times | Open to All Traffic, except heavy trucks. |
On the Exit List, read down to go east and read up to go west.
Please send any updates, comments and corrections to Michael Hale.
| Exit Number | Route that Crosses I-66 | Notes, etc. |
| 1 | I-81 Winchester/Roanoke - Westbound ONLY | |
| 6 | US 340-522 Front Royal/Winchester | Eastbound traffic to Skyline Drive exit here. |
| 13 | VA 79 TO VA 55 Linden | Westbound traffic to Skyline Drive exit here. |
| 18 | VA 688 Markham | |
| Not Sure - Anyone know? | TO VA 55/VA 729/US 17 NORTH - Eastbound ONLY | No direct re-entry Eastbound at this interchange. |
| 23 | US 17 NORTH Winchester - Westbound ONLY | US 17 and VA 55 multiplex going east with I-66 at this point. |
| 27 | VA 721/VA 55/US 17 BUSINESS Marshall | End VA 55 Multiplex |
| 28 | US 17 SOUTH
Warrenton/Fredericksburg US 17 BUSINESS Marshall |
End US 17 Multiplex |
| 31 | VA 245 Great Meadow/The Plains | |
| 40 | US 15 Warrenton/Haymarket | A little shortcut: Take US 15 SOUTH here to avoid traffic in Gainesville. |
| 43 | US 29 Gainesville/Warrenton (Signs going Eastbound mention Gainesville only.) | US 29 NORTH has no Control City listed on the BGS. |
| 44 | VA 234 SOUTH Manassas | The Manassas Bypass. Only open from I-66 to VA 28. Use VA 234 Business (Exit 47) to continue north or south of Manassas on VA 234. |
| 47 | VA 234 NORTH
Manassas Battlefield Park VA 234 BUSINESS (SOUTH) Manassas |
|
| 52 | US 29 Centreville | An impossible left turn to US 29 SOUTH at this exit. Try Exit 53 to VA 28 SOUTH to US 29 SOUTH. |
| 53 | VA 28 Dulles Airport/Centreville | |
| HOV Lane ONLY | VA 645 Stringfellow Road - Westbound ONLY | Left Exit. Open during HOV Hours ONLY. |
| 55 | VA 7100 Fairfax County Parkway Reston/Herndon/Springfield | |
| 57 | US 50 Fairfax/Winchester | |
| HOV Lane ONLY | VA 6751 Monument Drive - Westbound ONLY | Left Exit. Open during HOV Hours ONLY. |
| 60 | VA 123 Fairfax/Vienna | |
| 62 | VA 243 Nutley Street Fairfax/Vienna | The "famous" Nutley Street where the big backup to the Beltway usually starts. |
| 64 | I-495 The Capital Beltway Richmond/Baltimore | |
| HOV Lane ONLY | I-495 The Capital Beltway Richmond/Baltimore - Eastbound ONLY | Left Exit. Open during HOV Hours ONLY. |
| 66 | VA 7 Falls Church/Tysons Corner | |
| 67 | VA 267 WEST TO I-495 NORTH Dulles Airport - Westbound ONLY | TO Dulles Access Highway |
| 68-A | Westmoreland Street - Eastbound ONLY | |
| 68-B | US29-VA 237 Washington Boulevard/Lee Highway - Eastbound ONLY | |
| 69 | Sycamore Street Falls Church - Westbound ONLY | |
| 71 | VA 237-VA 120
Fairfax Drive/Glebe Road - Eastbound ONLY |
|
| 71 | VA 120 Glebe Road | |
| Continue on I-66 with SPUI. His I-66 Exit List is here. | ||
7/2/2000
