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56-564: The Dulles Technology Corridor is a descriptive term for a string of communities that lie along and between Virginia State Route 267 (the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway), and Virginia State Route 7 (Leesburg Pike and Harry Byrd Highway). It especially includes the communities, from east to west, of Tysons Corner , Reston , Herndon , Sterling , and Ashburn . These communities are in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, which are

112-688: A 50‑year lease authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986, Title VI of Public Law 99‑500, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan . Prior to the transfer, the airports were owned and operated by the federal government through the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States Department of Transportation . Under the transfer act, all property owned by

168-574: A bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 28.2% for the U.S. as a whole. The George Washington University 's Virginia Science and Technology Campus and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute 's Janelia Farm Research Campus are located in the corridor. The following companies are headquartered in the Dulles Technology Corridor: The following companies have major regional offices located in

224-795: A compatible system. Fifty cents of each toll is attributable to the financing of the Silver Line to Dulles Airport. On November 14, 2012, the MWAA Board of Directors voted to increase the toll by 25¢ (from $ 1.50 to $ 1.75 at the main toll plaza and from 75¢ to $ 1.00 at the ramp toll booths) effective January 1, 2013; and to increase the toll by an additional 75¢ to $ 2.50 at the main toll plaza effective January 1, 2014. The 2013 and 2014 toll increases primarily help pay for Phase 1 Silver Line Metrorail construction costs. HOV-2 restrictions are in effect during weekday rush hours , 6:30 to 9:00 am eastbound and 4:00 to 6:30 pm westbound, limiting

280-581: A main toll plaza west of the Beltway interchange collects a $ 1.75 toll in both directions for two-axle vehicles. Toll booths located on westbound exit ramps and eastbound entrance ramps collect tolls of $ 1.00, except at the Route 7 interchange, where tolls are only collected from Route 267 east to Route 7 east. Vehicles with more than two axles are charged higher rates. All tollbooths are equipped with electronic toll collection systems which accept E-ZPass or

336-467: A practical matter, the right of way could not fit any additional lanes other than the current six in each direction. However, Rep. Frank Wolf again threatened to pass federal legislation prohibiting the fourth lane to be limited to HOV traffic. In 2005, five companies submitted proposals to VDOT to privatize the toll road which included payments to Virginia that could be used for transportation. In response MWAA made its own proposal to take over operation of

392-460: A return on that investment. The losses incurred during the early years of the project are rolled forward to justify higher tolls in later years. Subsequent improvements, which were constructed in exchange for the aforementioned extension of the toll road to 2056, include adding a third lane in each direction, resurfacing the entire road in 2009, and the construction of an improved eastbound exit ramp to Dulles Airport in 2009. The main toll plaza for

448-500: A wide range of services to the airports including aircraft rescue firefighting in accordance with the standards of the Federal Aviation Administration, structural firefighting, emergency medical services (basic and advanced life support) and river rescue (at National Airport). The authority's Fire & Rescue Department will also provide mutual-aid services to the surrounding jurisdictions, as needed, under

504-604: Is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). The road was privately built and is not a public asset. The current owner is "Toll Road Investors Partnership II" (TRIP II), which was a consortium of the Bryant/Crane Family LLC , the Franklin L. Haney Co., and Kellogg Brown & Root (KB&R). On August 31, 2005, Australian firm Macquarie Infrastructure Group (now Atlas Arteria ) announced that they had paid $ 533 million to TRIP II to acquire its 86.7% ownership of

560-573: Is a privately owned toll road in Northern Virginia, running for 12.53 miles (20.17 km) northwest from the end of the Dulles Toll Road to the Leesburg Bypass ( U.S. Route 15 / State Route 7 ). The northbound side of the freeway leads directly onto US-15 North at its termination, thus forming a continuous route towards Frederick, MD and beyond. Although privately owned, the highway is also part of SR 267. The speed limit

616-469: Is also one of two routes where a subscription membership (exclusive to E-ZPass) allows for an additional discount. Alternate (free) routes include State Route 7 and State Route 28 , both of which are generally more congested. The Greenway was later widened to six lanes from the mainline toll plaza to Leesburg. Use of the Greenway has grown, reflecting the increased population of Loudoun County. In 1996,

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672-695: Is governed by a 17-member board of directors with seven members appointed by the Governor of Virginia , four by the Mayor of the District of Columbia , three by the Governor of Maryland , and three by the President of the United States . Leading the management of the authority is president and chief executive officer , John E. Potter . Potter's tenure began on July 18, 2011 after a nationwide search

728-474: Is owned by TRIP II, a limited partnership, but is maintained by Atlas Arteria , an Australian company which owns the majority stake in the partnership. The Dulles Access Road's median hosts the Silver Line of the Washington Metro between the airport and Tysons . The Dulles Access Road is a four-lane, 13.65-mile (21.97 km) highway that runs between the westbound and eastbound roadways of

784-574: The Washington Business Journal as "an area that is quickly emerging as a national hub for data storage facilities." The corridor also has data centers in Sterling , Herndon , Reston , and Tysons Corner . The area is a growing home for major data centers including those of Amazon Web Services (AWS) 's US East region, where an estimated 70% of AWS IP addresses are housed. Wikimedia Foundation has its primary data center in

840-610: The Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia . A third major airport in the Washington region, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is located 9 miles (14.48 km) south of downtown Baltimore . BWI Airport is not operated by MWAA, but is owned by the state of Maryland , and operated through the Maryland Aviation Administration , which purchased

896-573: The median of Dulles Toll Road and then extends east to Falls Church . The combined roadway provides a toll road for commuting and a free road for access to Washington Dulles International Airport . The three sections are operated and maintained by separate agencies: Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road are maintained by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA); the Dulles Greenway

952-643: The Beltway as part of the construction of Dulles Airport, and opened with the airport in 1962. It was extended to I-66 in 1985. Until 2006, the Dulles Access Road was operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) under contract with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority , the owner of the land under both the Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road, and has the unsigned designation of State Route 90004. Since

1008-475: The Dulles Greenway is located just west of the exits for Route 28 and Dulles Airport . Additional toll plazas are located on westbound entrance ramps and eastbound exit ramps with the exception of Battlefield Parkway (Exit 2) in Leesburg . The toll varies depending on the toll plaza traversed. As of January 2013 , the base toll collected for two- axle vehicles ranges from $ 3.00 ($ 2.55 with E-ZPass ) at

1064-607: The Dulles Technology Corridor—;"the bullseye of America's Internet." The Dulles Technology Corridor serves as headquarters for domain name registrar Network Solutions and network infrastructure company Verisign . The region contains the Internet Society , and used to contain the mainframe that houses the master list of all Internet domain names. The Dulles Technology Corridor includes Ashburn, Virginia's "Data Center Alley," described by

1120-627: The Dulles Technology Corridor: 38°56′43″N 77°19′50.7″W  /  38.94528°N 77.330750°W  / 38.94528; -77.330750 Virginia State Route 267 State Route 267 ( SR 267 ) is an expressway in the US state of Virginia . It consists of two end-to-end toll roads  – the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway  – as well as the non-tolled Dulles Access Road , which lies in

1176-622: The Dulles Toll Road are used to operate and improve the Toll Road and fund a portion of the construction of the Metrorail extension project. Additional funding for the Metrorail project is supplied by federal grants and loans and by contributions from the Commonwealth of Virginia , and Loudoun and Fairfax counties in the commonwealth. The authority's headquarters is located less than 1 mile (1.609 km) from Reagan National Airport in

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1232-413: The Dulles Toll Road, along the latter's median . As this road is exclusively used for entering and exiting Dulles Airport, there are no general-access exits from the westbound lanes, and no general-access entrances to the eastbound lanes, with the exception of gated slip ramps to and from the toll road that buses and emergency vehicles can use, and it is free of charge to use. The Access Road was built from

1288-574: The FAA at the airports was transferred to the new Authority, with the Federal government retaining title to the lease. The original 50‑year lease has been extended to 80 years, expiring in June 2067. On February 6, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed into law an act passed by Congress which officially changed the name of Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The authority

1344-464: The Greenway served 6.3 million trips, growing to 21 million in 2006. However, for the first three months following the January 2009 toll increase, usage dropped 8% compared to the first three months of 2008. The 1988 statute authorizing the private toll road permitted toll increases above the rate of inflation under a three-part test: (1) the new fee must not "materially discourage" drivers from using

1400-402: The Greenway, and were negotiating with KB&R for the remaining ownership rights. Initially, as the road was built as a " Design Build Finance Operate Maintain" (DBFOM) project, the responsibility for operating the road was scheduled to revert to Virginia in 2036 via a concession agreement. In 2001, The Virginia State Corporation Commission extended this period to the year 2056. The road

1456-582: The MWAA board appointed by the President as of September 25, 2024: President Biden has nominated the following to fill a seat on the board. They await Senate confirmation. MWAA's lease encompasses the Dulles Access Road 's right-of-way. The Dulles Airport Access Road serves traffic to and from Dulles Airport only. Since 2008, MWAA has had ownership of the Dulles Toll Road , the outer lanes of

1512-561: The Shreve Mill Rd plaza to $ 5.10 at the main plaza to and from the Dulles Toll Road (which includes the $ 1.00 toll for the Dulles Toll Road). Vehicles with more than two axles are charged higher rates. The maximum toll rises to $ 5.90 (including the 75¢ Dulles Toll Road toll) during congestion pricing hours, which are 6:30 am to 9:00 am eastbound and 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm westbound. A previous increase in

1568-399: The access highway, but these were discontinued when the toll road opened. Drivers can receive a fine and driver's license violations for using the Dulles Access Road illegally. Revenue from the fines is given to the county in which the fine is issued. The Dulles Toll Road is an eight-lane, 16.15-mile (25.99 km) toll road that runs outside the Dulles Access Road. In response to

1624-409: The airport grounds. Although it is illegal to use the Access Road without conducting such "airport business", some commuters evade the toll and the traffic on the Toll Road by taking the Access Road to the airport, then "backtracking" to their exit. For a couple of years prior to the opening of the Dulles Toll Road, VDOT issued special stickers allowing commuters (for a fee) to backtrack legally along

1680-575: The airport property within their respective jurisdiction including the Dulles Airport Access Highway and the Dulles Toll Road . Virginia law also grants concurrent jurisdiction to the Arlington County Police for Reagan National Airport. The authority also has a full-service Fire and Rescue Department that operates at both Dulles and National Airports. The authority's Fire and Rescue Department provides

1736-491: The airports, their central administration, their police and fire departments and their payroll are not funded by tax dollars. Operating costs are paid through aircraft landing fees, rents for use of terminals and other facilities and revenues from concessions and parking. The Airports Authority is responsible for capital improvements at the airports, which are funded in part by passenger facility charges collected through airline tickets, Federal Airport Improvement Program funds and

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1792-513: The appropriate directions of Interstate 66 between the Beltway and U.S. Route 29 just outside Washington are toll roads. Single-passenger vehicles bound to or from the airport using the Dulles Access Road must pay tolls using an E-ZPass . Vehicles with 2 or more people may switch their E-ZPass Flex into HOV mode to avoid being charged for tolls. These regulations are enforced by the Virginia State Police . The Dulles Greenway

1848-457: The base fare and the introduction of congestion pricing occurred in January 2009, and tolls rose an additional 30 cents per trip on January 1, 2012. Vehicles traveling through the main toll plaza to or from the Dulles Toll Road are charged two tolls: one for the Dulles Toll Road, and one for the Dulles Greenway. Cash tolls are accepted during limited hours, and credit cards and E-ZPass transponder payments are accepted at all times. The Greenway

1904-433: The board appointed by the President must be registered voters other states than Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia. No more than two of these three members may be of the same political party. In carrying out their duties on the board, members appointed by the President shall ensure that adequate consideration is given to the national interest. They may be removed by the President for cause. The current members of

1960-546: The corridor. According to U.S. News & World Report , "Northern Virginia remains popular, in part because it has some of the country's cheapest electricity rates." According to Data Center Map, Northern Virginia is home to more than 300 data centers. The Dulles Technology Corridor has access to a highly educated workforce. Of adults aged 25 and over, 58.2% in Fairfax County and 57.6% in Loudoun County have

2016-501: The development along the Dulles Access Road and the number of motorists who backtracked through the airport to commute to outer suburbs, the Virginia Department of Transportation determined a need for a limited access highway to serve points along the Access Road without subjecting airport traffic to congestion. It was built in 1984 by the Virginia Department of Transportation as a toll highway, because conventional funding

2072-615: The distance-based exit numbering used throughout most of Virginia. All exits are unnumbered. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority ( MWAA ) is an independent airport authority , created with the consent of the United States Congress to oversee management, operations, and capital development of the two major airports serving the U.S. national capital : Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport . The Airports Authority

2128-459: The highway) passed special legislation prohibiting the imposition of HOV restrictions on the route. As a compromise to resolve the situation, Virginia decided to lift the HOV restriction and to construct a fourth lane in each direction to serve HOV traffic. However, unlike the third lane, officials did not allow non-HOV use at the end of construction in 1998, and avoided a repeat of the controversy. As

2184-484: The left lane to vehicles with two or more passengers between State Route 28 and the main toll plaza. Motorcycles and approved clean fuel vehicles displaying a Clean Special Fuel license plate are exempt from this rule, meaning single passenger vehicles of this nature may use the left lane. Traditional hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius that do not plug in are no longer exempt from HOV rules. During rush hour,

2240-522: The mainline Toll Road) or further on (starting them on the Access Road), and transfer exits are provided from the Access Road to the Toll Road before the Herndon exits, Reston exits, and the Beltway. Access Road traffic to State Route 7 gets a separate exit ramp from those of the Toll Road, and then the two eastbound segments merge before the junction with Interstate 66 . Through December 31, 2013,

2296-592: The opening of the Dulles Toll Road, the only major modification to the Access Road has been the construction of the Silver Line inside the median, and the construction of a flyover exit ramp from the eastbound Access Road to State Route 7. This ramp bypasses congestion associated with the main toll plaza, where traffic from Dulles Airport attempts to exit at Route 7. The Dulles Airport Access Road can be used only for travel to and from Dulles Airport and other businesses (such as air freight, hotels, and gas stations) on

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2352-668: The proceeds of bonds issued by the Airports Authority. In 2008, the Airports Authority’s responsibilities were expanded to include the operation of the Dulles Toll Road and management of the construction project to extend the metropolitan Washington region's Metrorail mass transit system for 23 miles (37.01 kilometres) from the existing East Falls Church station in Virginia to Dulles International Airport and beyond into Loudoun County, Virginia . Tolls collected on

2408-524: The right-of-way which were built by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the usage of which is subject to a toll. However, the inner lanes, which comprise the aforementioned Dulles Access Road, are free of charge for drivers going directly between Dulles Airport and the surrounding area. MWAA constructed a Silver Line extension of the D.C. Metrorail system, which completed the long-awaited rail link between downtown Washington, Tysons , Reston , Dulles Airport, and eastern Loudoun County. Phase 1, which

2464-474: The road is rarely referred to by that name. The speed limit is 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), and the original construction had two lanes in each direction. A third lane was built to serve HOV traffic in 1992. For a short period between the end of construction and the start of HOV limits, drivers of single passenger vehicles used the lane and contacted government officials opposing the HOV policy. In response, Congress (which did not have direct control over

2520-611: The road, (2) the company must not make more than a "reasonable rate of return" from the increase, and (3) the road's benefit must match its cost. Critics claim that the drop in use following the 2009 toll increase is evidence that the test has not been met. Representative Frank Wolf , the Congressman representing the area served by the road, stated, "It's highway robbery. It's a disgrace. Everyone knows that these tolls are ripping people off and there's not much we can do about it." SR 267 uses sequential exit numbering rather than

2576-556: The second phase (west of Reston) opened in November 2022. From the Beltway, motorists exiting onto SR 267 toward Dulles Airport must choose between lanes marked Airport Traffic Only and To All Local Exits ; the Airport Traffic Only lanes lead to the two westbound lanes of the Access Road. Eastbound traffic is routed differently; Dulles-originating traffic can choose destinations between Herndon exits (putting them on

2632-460: The second-highest and highest income counties in the U.S. as of 2011, coinciding with the national technology and local internet boom of the 1990s and local technology spending after the September 11, 2001 attacks . As of 2009, more than 50% of all U.S. Internet traffic travelled through Northern Virginia. In his book Tubes , author Andrew Blum calls Ashburn, Virginia —a community within

2688-427: The state after a stated time period. The road was completed and opened in 1995, but the original owners defaulted on its loan due to lower than projected use. It receives no public funds, was built with no subsidies, and is policed at its own expense, competing as a wholly private enterprise with the state-built and -maintained roads. Tolls are computed to assure that the owner will recover the original investment plus

2744-508: The then-named "Friendship Airport" from the city of Baltimore in 1972. The authority was created by the Commonwealth of Virginia (1985 Acts of Assembly, Ch 598, as amended) and the District of Columbia (Regional Airports Authority Act of 1985, as amended). On June 7, 1987, Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (then known as Washington National Airport) were transferred to MWAA under

2800-471: The toll road from VDOT, assuming associated debts, and commit to building a rapid transit line in the median. VDOT agreed and, on March 27, 2006, MWAA took over from Virginia the operation of the Dulles Toll Road, including the outstanding debt and the obligation to construct the Silver Line in the median strip of the toll road. The first phase of the Silver Line (east of Reston ) opened in July 2014, while

2856-419: Was completed in 2014, extended the Metrorail system to Reston, Virginia. Phase 2 included the construction of the rail infrastructure, stations, pedestrian bridges to the stations, systems, and entrance pavilions, as well as the aerial tracks at Dulles Airport. A rail and maintenance yard on 90 acres (36.42 hectares) of airport-owned property was also built to serve the needs of the entire Metro system. The project

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2912-438: Was completed in November 2022. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has its own, full-service, state (Virginia) accredited police department which patrols airport properties and grounds, including the Dulles Airport Access Highway , the Dulles Toll Road and the area 300 yards surrounding the airports. The Virginia State Police , Fairfax County Police , and Loudoun County Sheriff's also exercise police power over

2968-554: Was conducted for a permanent president and CEO. Three people served as CEO prior to Potter: James Wilding, James Bennett and Lynn Hampton. Each airport operated by MWAA is under the direction of a vice president and airport manager. As with the other members of the board, these are appointed for six year terms, renewable once, are not allowed to serve past the expiration of their terms, may not hold elective or appointive political office, and serves without compensation except for reasonable expenses incident to board functions. The members of

3024-606: Was envisioned as early as the 1970s, when new residents were attracted to Loudoun County because of the relatively low cost of real estate. The Greenway proposal prompted the enactment of the Virginia Highway Corporation Act of 1988 that authorizes the construction of new toll roads without the use of eminent domain under rates set by the Virginia Corporation Commission. The law requires the facility to be turned over to

3080-431: Was established to operate as a financially self-sustaining entity with the mission to manage and enhance Washington, D.C.'s two-airport system. The authority leases the airports from the United States Department of Transportation . The U.S. government originally built the airports and continues to own the underlying airport property except for property acquired by MWAA subsequent to the lease. The daily operation of

3136-651: Was not available. The toll road begins just inside the Capital Beltway near West Falls Church at a connector to Interstate 66 to Washington, D.C., travels westward through Fairfax County past Dulles, and terminates at the entrance to the Dulles Greenway , a privately owned toll road that is a continuation of Route 267. Officially, the road is named the Omer L. Hirst  – Adelard L. Brault Expressway , in honor of two Virginia state legislators. However,

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