WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Prince William Del. Paul Nichols finds his opposition to high-occupancy toll lanes on Interstate 95 a lonely road in Richmond.

“I’m standing in front of a train going 60 miles an hour and trying to stop it,” said Nichols, D-Woodbridge. “It’s going to be very difficult, but I’m making noise.”

High-occupancy toll lanes, or HOT lanes, have won broad support in Northern Virginia, with its chronic problems trying to fund major transportation projects. Offering carpoolers fast, free lanes while also offering solo commuters the chance to pay a fee to access speedier lanes has made Nichols’ position unpopular.

The House Transportation Committee hasn’t held any hearings yet.

“HOT lanes expand reliable options for transportation,” Gov. Tim Kaine’s spokesman, Gordon Hickey, said Monday, noting the General Assembly directly authorized the type of public-private partnership that is set to build the new lane on the often-congested highway.

Nichols and other Prince William County critics fear the alternative will crush the popular “slug lines,” by which commuters pick up strangers so they can drive in the high-occupancy vehicle lanes.

“You got to remember that 65 percent of our people commute out of the county for jobs,” Prince William County Supervisor John Jenkins, D-Neabsco, said, and there is a concern commuters may be left home by drivers deciding to pay the fee instead of picking up strangers.

While the new lane could get commuters moving faster, those who use the slug lines are concerned that it will erode interest in park-and-ride lots as well.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com