UPDATED: Capital Beltway reopens after vehicle crashes clog traffic in McLean

Updated at 7:45 p.m. — All lanes on I-495 have now reopened after a pair of crashes during the afternoon rush hour, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Earlier: Two separate vehicle crashes have brought the Capital Beltway to a near-standstill in the McLean area just north of Tysons.

A Virginia State Police trooper told a dispatcher at 4:06 p.m. that there were “two major incidents,” both involving multiple vehicles, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.

One crash involving a tractor-trailer occurred in the express lanes near the Lewinsville Road exit, initially blocking all northbound lanes on the Beltway (I-495), according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

As of 4:50 p.m., one lane of traffic on the far right side of the highway was getting by.

Virginia State Police also responded to a crash in the northbound I-495 lanes near Georgetown Pike at 4:12 p.m., a spokesperson said.

“There are no reported injuries. The crash remains under investigation,” VSP said.

VDOT traffic cameras showed multiple police cars and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue vehicles near Old Dominion Drive.

On the emergency scanner, a dispatcher told responders with the Virginia State Police that a witness saw a man leaving the scene of that crash with a pocket knife.

“On I-495N Express Lanes at mile marker 44.1 in the County of Fairfax, motorists can expect major delays due to other security/police activity,” VDOT’s 511 traffic information system said at 4:31 p.m. “The north left shoulder and left lane are closed. Traffic backups are approximately 2.0 miles.”

Update McLean: 495NB past @Dulles_Toll_Rd: One right lane gets by. Pls continue to use an alternate route. https://t.co/cEne035P9h

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) July 6, 2023