10 Years of Commuter Choice

A novel idea was born 10 years ago—use money collected from tolls on Northern Virginia’s most traffic-congested highways to pay for projects that encourage people to find other ways to commute. That idea became NVTC’s Commuter Choice program. First, in the I-66 corridor, then in the I-395/95 corridor. Since then, Commuter Choice has invested $212 million into 72 unique projects that provide travel alternatives and help reduce congestion. That includes new and improved bus service, new buses, expanded Metro Rail and Virginia Railway Express stations, new park-and-ride lots, Capital Bikeshare stations and other projects to improve access to public transit.

What do these projects bring? Faster commutes for people riding transit and transportation alternatives and for those choosing the express lanes. It also saves commuters money they would have spent filling up their gas tanks, reduces pollution and prevents car crashes.