Nutley Street roundabouts at I-66 slated to open tomorrow

The overhaul of the Nutley Street and I-66 interchange is nearing completion, promising an end to the unpredictability that has characterized trips near the Vienna Metro station over the past three years.

Two new roundabouts at the interchange are scheduled to open tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, the Virginia Department of Transportation recently announced, cautioning drivers to yield to traffic in the loops when entering.

“As part of this traffic pattern change, the temporary traffic signals allowing left turns from the ramps from I-66 West to Nutley Street South and from I-66 East to Nutley Street North will be removed,” VDOT said. “Drivers will instead use the roundabouts to make these movements onto Nutley Street. This is the permanent routing for these movements.”

Drivers in the area are no strangers to changing traffic patterns, but this time, the new arrangement is mostly here to stay.

Traveling from I-66 East to Nutley Street North

• Drivers traveling from I-66 East to northbound Nutley Street will take Exit 62 to Nutley Street North and stay to the left on the ramp. They will yield to southbound traffic, then use the roundabout to join northbound Nutley Street toward Vienna.

Traveling from I-66 West to Nutley Street South

• Drivers traveling from I-66 West to southbound Nutley Street will take Exit 62B to Nutley Street South and stay to the left on the ramp. They will yield to northbound traffic, then use the roundabout to join southbound Nutley Street toward Fairfax.

One temporary condition will still be in place. Drivers going from Nutley Street North to I-66 West and from Nutley South to I-66 East must use one of the new roundabouts to access the exit ramps.

“This is a temporary configuration for these movements while ‘bypass’ lanes are completed that will give direct access from Nutley Street North to I-66 West and from Nutley Street South to I-66 East without entering the roundabouts,” VDOT said.

The bypass lanes are expected to open late this spring.

The interchange reconfiguration is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which added 22.5 miles of new toll lanes on the interstate from the Capital Beltway in Dunn Loring to Gainesville.

Under construction since 2020, the new design for the Nutley Street interchange will be safer and more efficient for vehicles and pedestrians, according to VDOT.

A new grade-separated shared-use path will also be added. It will link to other pedestrian improvements planned around the Vienna Metro station as well as a multipurpose path proposed on the west side of Nutley into the Town of Vienna.