commute to fairfax from haymarket/gainesville (Linton Hall: moving to, cars, area)

[fdg]

We are moving to NOVA soon and have been looking in the haymarket/gainesville area. Our concern with gainesville is that we hear the traffic gets very backed up on linton road/29 and it takes forever to get on I-66. Is this the case and is anything being done to improve the situation? Also, can anyone comment on the traffic in haymarket trying to access I-66 in the mornings --- also, what would a typical commute be to the fairfax area in the mornings assuming no interstate shut downs?
Thanks for the help!

[HEATHER72]

That whole intersection is slated to be rebuilt... With no light until Virginia Oaks & 29 so that traffic should just flow.

I-66/Rte 29/Linton Hall Road Interchanges (http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/i-66-rte_29-linton_hall_road_interchanges.asp - broken link)

[msjack]

I come from Haymarket in the morning and there is not too much traffic to get onto 66 depending on which way you're coming. I usually leave between 6 and 6:15 in the morning and it takes me about 40 mins to get to FFX. Today I left at 7:25 and got there at 8:45 and there were no accidents. So if you leave earlier you miss a lot of traffic. The later you leave obviously the more traffic you will encounter. Hopefully there are no accidents. If there is an accident it can take forever.

[fdg]

How do the HOV lanes move on I-66? Would the commute be quicker if you are able to use those lanes?

[NOVAmtneer82]

The thing with HOV lanes in Virginia is that hybrid vehicle owners (at least those with cars purchased prior to 2007/8?) are permitted to use those lanes even if they only have one passenger...A LOT of people purchased those types of cars and when along you combine that with a large carpool population and many single occupant cheaters, you get some bogged down HOV lanes. I've used I-66 before to head out of the city and up to the mountains for the weekend and most of the time, the HOV lanes weren't moving that much faster than the regular travel lanes.

Depending on the distance, you might be able to save a few minutes here and there but it probably won't amount to that much, at least during peak rush. The key in this area is usually to leave earlier in the morning to avoid the absolute worst of the traffic.