WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Virginia has signed a final agreement with contractors to build 14 miles of high-occupancy toll lanes along the Capital Beltway, transportation officials announced Thursday.

The $1.4 billion project is a highly touted public-private partnership, the type officials will look to mirror across the state as public transportation funds grow tighter. Under the contract, the state will pay for $409 million of the project, with the rest paid through tolls collected by the contractors, Fluor Daniels and Transurban USA.

Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, promised Thursday to expand the use of such partnerships, echoing similar sentiments by Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, a Republican.

“Our public-private partnership programs continue to demonstrate that we can meet the demands of our residents, visitors and businesses,” the governor said in a statement. “By working together, we can manage congestion and provide new travel options for residents and businesses of Northern Virginia.”

Critics, including the District-based Coalition for Smarter Growth, have warned that the contract for the Capital Beltway HOT lanes project was reached through limited public involvement and cedes public infrastructure to private companies for most of a century.

The details of the project appear to be largely the same as those announced months ago. Construction is set to begin in the spring. The average rush-hour trip is expected to cost $5 to $6. The additional toll lanes will run along Interstate 495 from Old Dominion Drive/Route 123 to south of Braddock Road.

wflook@dcexaminer.com