Virginia has high hopes for HOT lanes on the Beltway

Once the express lanes open, commuters can access them north of the Dulles Toll Road and south of Braddock Road.

There are no physical toll booths, so all vehicles except motorcycles are required to have an E-ZPass to use the lanes. Vehicles with three or more people need an E-ZPass that can indicate carpool status and will not be charged a toll, but vehicles with one or two passengers and two-axle trucks will have to pay.

The lanes will employ dynamic toll rates, which fluctuate based on traffic conditions, time of day and trip length. According to VDOT, the average trip will cost $3 to $6 during rush hours and $1 to $2 during nonrush hours.

If a vehicle does not have an E-ZPass, an overhead license plate identification system takes a photo and generates an invoice. Violations for having fewer than three people in a car start at $50 and can go up to $1,000 for multiple offenses.

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