The high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are those with restrictions on the number of individuals each vehicle must have. In order to use these lanes during restricted hours, each vehicle must have a minimum number of occupants. During nonrestricted hours, the number of passengers required is lifted. The intent of restricting the number of occupants is to encourage ridesharing, which in turn reduces the number of vehicles on the highway. With fewer vehicles, the HOV lanes operate generally with less congestion and are much faster than non-HOV lanes.

Designated with a diamond-shaped symbol, HOV lanes are found on Interstates 66, 95, and 395. Unlike Interstate 66, which designates the HOV lane with only the symbol, Interstate 95 and 395 are physically separated from non-HOV traffic with concrete barriers. These barriers not only control access to the HOV lanes with a limited number of entrance and exit points, they also help prevent using the lanes "temporarily." The restricted hours of operation for HOV lanes can be somewhat confusing. The construction of the HOT lanes has changed the normal hours the HOV is unrestricted.

On weekdays, HOV-3 (three or more people in a vehicle) is in effect northbound (going into Washington) from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and southbound (out of Washington) from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

HOV-3 only:  Monday-Friday:  6 a.m. to 9 a.m. northbound; 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. southbound

The HOV lanes are closed to all traffic during the following hours:

• Weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon.; and midnight to 2 a.m.
• Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The HOV lanes are open to all traffic during the following hours:

• Northbound from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays; from 4 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday.
• Southbound from noon to 3:30 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight on weekdays; from 6 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Saturday.

*Please note reversal times have been adjusted for the summer to relieve travel congestion and construction delays. 

See news release.

HOV-3 Entrances and Exits for I-395 and I-95 

Southbound entrances

Interstate 66 has an HOV-2 restriction, meaning that the car must have at least two occupants. Interstates 95 and 395 have HOV-3 restrictions, requiring a minimum of three occupants. There have been discussions in the past year concerning changing the HOV-3 restriction to HOV-2; as yet, no action has been taken.

In Virginia, violations of the HOV minimum requirements carry some stiff fines and are progressive with each violation. Currently the fines are as follows:

New HOV Fines take effect July 1, 2006

• First offense $125 (was $50)

• Second offense $250 (was $200) plus three points on your driving record

• Third offense $500 plus three points on your driving record

• Fourth offense $1,000 plus three points on your driving record

There are a few exceptions to the minimum number of occupants in the HOV lanes. The exceptions are as follows:

• Emergency vehicles, such as law   enforcement vehicles, public utility, fire, ambulance, rescue

• Motorcycles
• Alternative fuel vehicles (for example, natural gas) with clean fuel license plates

How They Reverse Traffic

Traffic flow begins reversing from northbound to southbound, Monday through Thursday, around midday. Beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m. a VDOT technician drives the entire HOV route from south to north closing the freeway behind him as he drives. Once the HOV is clear of all traffic, the direction is reversed to southbound. Although the reversal time may vary, it usually occurs around 12:30 p.m. On Friday, the reversal begins an hour earlier to allow for the heavier weekend traffic out of the District.

In the evening, the HOV again undergoes a direction reversal, beginning around 9:00 p.m. And finally, the HOV runs southbound on Saturday and northbound on Sundays. However, it should be noted that VDOT adjusts this schedule, such as on holidays and special events.

For more information, call the Northern Virginia District Office of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) at (800) 367-ROAD.

Here is a list of all HOV lanes in the US. Click Here.