The Northern Virginia traffic situation is more the result of a failure to follow the projections put out in the 60s and build the required roads for the expect

The Northern Virginia traffic situation is more the result of a failure to follow the projections put out in the 60s and build the required roads for the expected growth. I66 was recommended to be a minimum of 4 lanes each way at the time, but only half of that was put in. The number of roads and lanes on those roads is totally inadequate. The main driver was that Southern Virginia had the political power at the time and refused to allocate money for roads in the north, preferring instead to build multi-lane highways to nowhere in the south. It's all different now with the explosion of the size of the federal government increasing the population of the north so that they're now in the driver's seat - 30 years too late now that the growth has occurred. They did build the amazing HOV lanes on I95/I395 that manage to fit 2 lanes of traffic into the same space where 6 lanes could have been built. The 2 lanes change direction mid day further inhibiting traffic.