FAQs | Express Lanes (2024)

The Express Lanes offer a smoother and more predictable trip for drivers in Northern Virginia. Drivers use the Express Lanes to bypass congestion on the Beltway and 95 and 395 corridors. And because we’re all about keeping things moving, our customers pay for tolls electronically using an E-ZPass®. No need for cash, means no more toll booth backups.

The 495 Express Lanes run 14 miles from Springfield to McLean. The 95 Express Lanes run 41 miles from Fredericksburg to Fairfax and the 395 Express Lanes are an 8-mile extension of these Lanes, taking drivers right up to the D.C. line.

No one likes being stuck in a sea of brake lights, so the Express Lanes use dynamic pricing to keep customers moving. With dynamic pricing, you’ll be traveling at least 45 mph on the 495 Express Lanes and 55 mph on the 95 and 395 Express Lanes, 99% of the time.

Our customer control center also has eyes on the road around the clock. If our cameras spot any incidents on the Lanes, we’ll have a response crew arrive with help in 10 minutes or less.

View the Express Lanes Terms and Conditions to learn more.

The 95 and 395 Express Lanes are now part of one continuous system. That means that all drivers, whether or not they are HOV-3 can continue on the 395 Express Lanes. The Lanes are tolled 24/7 and all drivers (except motorcyclists) need an E-ZPass® or E-ZPass® Flex to use them.

The Seminary Road ramp facing south opened to all customers in summer 2022.

Yes, we have information about the 395 Express Lanes in both Spanish/Español and Korean/한국어.

Carpools and vanpools can travel toll-free on the Express Lanes at all times as long as they fit within our free travel guidelines. If you have a headcount of 3 or more people in your carpool or vanpool, just make sure to switch your E-ZPass® Flex to HOV ON to travel for free.

Based on Virginia law, customers can’t travel toll-free solely because they drive a hybrid car. As HOT lanes, we run differently from HOV Lanes, so we follow a different statute.

Want to know more about the HOT statute? Head here and read sections 33.1-56.5 to learn more.

Slugging is a way to carpool that's been around the D.C. area for decades. At least 2 riders, or slugs, meets drivers in Park andRide lots and jump in their cars for the morning commute. In the evening, slug lines pop up in spots around the city where drivers pick them up for the trip back to the Park and Ride lots. Drivers get to use the Lanes for free and riders get a quick trip.

For more information on how to slug in Northern Virginia, check outslug-lines.com for more info.

Law enforcement may travel the Express Lanes for free if they’re:

• Responding to an emergency
• Patrolling HOT lanes based on an agreement we have with them
• Performing a time-sensitive investigation
• In pursuit of persons known or suspected to be engaged in or with knowledge of criminal activity
• Performing active surveillance

If your team needs to travel on the Express Lanes to perform law enforcement duties, please email us so we can ensure you’re not charged for these trips.

Otherwise, the only way to travel the Express Lanes toll-free is with 3 or more people in the vehicle and your E-ZPass® Flex set to HOV ON.

Yes, but you should first check with the rental company or your rental agreement about coverage, policies and charges related to tolls and E-ZPass®. Companies may add additional fees for E-ZPass® transactions or unpaid toll invoices. Even if you don’t see an E-ZPass® in the rental vehicle, the license plate might be linked with the rental company’s E-ZPass® account.

Please contact us before visiting our “Make a payment” page to see if there’s a trip you need to pay for from traveling the Lanes in a rental car.

Yes, tolls are always in effect. At the same time, free travel is always available to motorcycle riders, as well as HOV-3+ vehicles with an E-ZPass® Flex set to HOV ON.

You’ll see 2 pricing signs before all entrances to the Express Lanes. The pricing signs show the cost to travel to a maximum of 3 upcoming exits. Don’t see your exit? It might fall between the exits listed on the sign or you might see it on another pricing sign later during your trip. The displayed prices change dynamically to reflect current toll prices.

When you’re traveling on the 95 or 395 Express Lanes, you might see overhead pricing signs. These signs display the costs to travel to exits farther down the Lanes. Learn more about pricing signage on the Express Lanes.

You can also download the Express Lanes mobile app or visit our Map your tripwebpage to estimate the cost of your trip before hitting the road.

No, but tolls run differently between the 495 Express Lanes and the 95 and 395 Express Lanes.

On the 495 Express Lanes, your toll rate is locked in when you enter the Lanes and pass under the first toll point.

On the 95 and 395 Express Lanes, you might need to pay more than one toll during your trip because the Lanes are much longer than the 495 Express Lanes. If you see another pricing sign during your trip on the 95 Express Lanes, you’ll lock in your rate for the next stretch of your trip after you pass under this second toll point.

Learn more about pricing on the Express Lanes.

Before all Express Lanes entrances, you’ll see 2 pricing signs displaying the latest toll prices to travel to up to 3 destinations. Don’t see your exit? It might fall between the exits listed on the sign or you might see it on another pricing sign later during your trip.

On the 495 Express Lanes, the first 2 destinations listed on the pricing sign are the most popular destinations from your entry point. The third destination is the furthest distance you can travel on the Lanes from your entry point. If your exit isn’t listed on the sign, the toll price will fall between the listed exits.

The 95 and 395 Express Lanes include many opportunities for drivers to enter directly from the regular lanes, which is why the pricing signs show upcoming exit points.

Read more about signage on the Express Lanes.

Download the Express Lanes mobile app or head over to our Map your tripwebpage to get real-time toll rates for your route before hitting the road.

No, Express Lanes tolls must be paid with an E-ZPass® or E-ZPass® Flex. There are no toll booths or options to pay cash on the Express Lanes.

For more information about Virginia E-ZPass®, head on over to: www.ezpassva.com.

For more information about Maryland E-ZPass®, please visit: www.ezpassmd.com.

Yes, the standard E-ZPass® will work.

On the other hand, looking into an E-ZPass® Flex is a great idea if you find yourself traveling with 3 or more people in your car. As long as you have at least 3 people in your car and an E-ZPass® Flex set to HOV ONe, you can use the Express Lanes for free. This option is not available with the standard E-ZPass®.

Head on over to the Virginia or Maryland E-ZPass® websites. To get an E-ZPass®, you’ll need your:

• Driver’s license number
• License plate number
• Credit card information

Live in Virginia? You can also get an E-ZPass® or E-ZPass® Flex at:

• AAA Mid-Atlantic locations
• Select Wegmans locations
• Select Giant Food Stores
• Select DMVs
• Tysons Corner Center

Here are a couple of ways to swap a standard E-ZPass® for an E-ZPass® Flex:

• Head over to www.EZPassVA.com and log into your account. Click on the “Transponders” tab to choose which E-ZPass® you want to exchange
• Call the Virginia E-ZPass® Customer Service team at 877-762-7824
• Visit one of the E-ZPass® Customer Service Centers nearest you

To travel toll-free with a bumper-mounted transponder, simply call us at 1-855-495-9777 at least 30 minutes before your trip and up to one week in advance. You can register for periods of up to 7 days for toll-free travel.

Please have this information handy when you call us so we can honor your trip:

• E-ZPass® number
• License plate number
• Approximate time of your trip

Missing a toll happens to the best of us. That’s why we offer our customers a 5-day window to pay for a missed toll before we send an invoice. If you get an invoice from us in the mail, it’ll include the toll for your trip and an administrative fee. It’s best to pay your invoice quickly so you don’t run the risk of increasing fines and penalties.

If this is your first time missing a toll or receiving an invoice for unpaid tolls, call us at 1-855-495-9777 to see if you qualify to have fees waived through our First-Time Forgiveness program. Otherwise, head over to our payment page to pay for your missed toll.

We take our customers’ privacy seriously. That’s why there are strict data privacy protections in our contract with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

On-road video is only used for safety purposes and is wiped clean within 5 days. As for individual’s speed data? We don’t report or use it in any way. We only disclose corridor-wide travel speeds to VDOT as part of our reporting requirement.

We are restricted from using any customer information collected to pursue an unpaid toll for any other purpose but the payment of outstanding tolls.

If you travel on the Express Lanes without an E-ZPass®, our on-road equipment will snap a photo of your license plate. If you don’t pay for your missed toll within 5 days of your trip, we’ll send you an invoice in the mail requesting payment of your toll plus an administrative fee. If you received an invoice from us, you can pay for it here.

We offer 3 simple ways to pay for your toll invoice:

• Pay online through our Make a paymentwebpage
• Give us a call at 1-855-495-9777 to pay via credit card
• Mail your check and payment stub to P.O. Box 28148, New York, NY 10087

Missing a toll isn’t a big deal, but if left unpaid, it can become one. It’s best to act quickly before time and money add up. Here’s what happens if you don’t pay for your missed toll*:

• Missed toll (within 5 days of trip) - $1.50 fee per trip
• First invoice (6-35 days after trip) - $12.50 fee per trip
• Second invoice (45-74days after trip) - $25.00 fee per trip
• Collections (90+ days after trip) - $100.00 fee per trip
• Court (180+ days after trip) - $100, plus court fees and civil penalties set by Virginia law

*As the operator, we don’t and cannot, by law, profit from administrative fees and civil penalties related to toll enforcement. Any administrative fees assessed for collection purposes are outlined by Virginia law and judges enforce the Virginia code and impose civil penalties.

We spend time and effort to locate and contact drivers about the missed tolls they need to pay. Administrative fees cover these costs. If we send you multiple invoices, the fees will increase. And, if we get returned mail from the address we received from the DMV, your information may be sent to a debt collection agency and you’ll need to work directly with them.

You can avoid increasing fees by paying for your missed toll within 5 days of your trip. Simply visit our Make a paymentpage and submit your payment through the Missed a tollform before we mail you an invoice.

There are 2 ways to help avoid future invoices:

• Make sure your E-ZPass® has funds on it and is properly mounted in your car
• Sign up for our missed toll email alerts to stay on top of any unpaid tolls

If you have an HOV-3+ violation, you can follow the instructions on the summons and appear in court to dispute the violation.

If you don’t like the outcome of a toll dispute, please contact our customer service center at 1-855-495-9777.

You received a court summons because we see that your car traveled along the Express Lanes without paying the toll, and you’ve been identified as the registered owner of the vehicle by the DMV. After a minimum of 120 days in debt collections with no payment received, a court summons is sent.

For more information, please contact Customer Care at 1-855-495-9777, between 7am–7pm, Monday through Friday.

The civil penalties are:

• $50 for a first offense
• $100 for a second offense within one year of the first offense
• $250 for a third offense within a period of 2 years of the second offense
• $500 for a fourth and subsequent offenses within a period of 3 years of the second offense

Due to updates to our technology systems, you have until April 30th to contact us if you'd like to prepay. After April 30th, you can still take advantage of a reduced settlement amount, but you'll need to do so in person by attending your scheduled court date. Make sure to show up at least 30 minutes before your hearing is scheduled to begin.

If you need to reschedule your court date in Fairfax court, please contact the court at 703-246-2815 or visit the Fairfax County website.

If you need to reschedule your court date in Prince William court, please contact the court at 703-792-6010.

Thanks to our officers patrolling the Express Lanes, you can feel safe knowing that help is never far behind.

We also have a close eye on the Lanes at all times with cameras and traffic sensors monitoring and alerting our team of incidents within approximately 30 seconds. Express Assist, our incident response crew, is here to lend a helping hand to our customers along with first responders and emergency service providers.

Our Express Assist crew helps get you back on your way if you run into any minor mechanical bumps along the Express Lanes. We’ll lend you a helping hand free-of-charge when you:

• Get a flat tire
• Run out of fuel
• Need to jump start your battery

Express Assist can also alert fire rescue or police in the event of an emergency. While Express Assist vehicles can’t provide towing services, we can contact a towing company for disabled drivers.

Keep in mind that if you prefer to call a different roadside emergency service for help, you may be responsible for covering any toll costs they need to pay to reach you on the Express Lanes.

On the 495 Express Lanes, please safely pull over to the left shoulder and stay in your car. On the 95 and 395 Express Lanes, pull over to the closest shoulder and stay in your car until help arrives.

If you run into a medical emergency along the Lanes, always call 911 first.

You should not get out of your vehicle unless it’s an emergency. In that case, please move safely away from your vehicle and wait until help arrives.

We want your Express Lanes trip to be as smooth and safe as possible, so we stay on top of making improvements along the Lanes. Some of these activities include:

• Replacing channelizing posts
• Clearing debris
• Repainting lane markings
• Changing light bulbs