Route 66, about a mile from here, this morning started charging tolls during rush hour for vehicles not meeting HOV requirements (currently driver plus one, but soon to be driver plus two). The price for the 10-mile trip from the Beltway to the bridge into Washington, DC, cost $34.50 at 8:40 a.m. For much of the morning rush it cost $28.50. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, traffic averaged 57 m.p.h. — compared to the average 37 m.p.h. previously.
It’s not hard to see who’s going to benefit from these new tolls — people who can afford to dish out $34 to run the 10 miles three or four minutes faster than people who can’t.