A recent briefing from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) did little to quell questions and concerns from regional leaders about a proposal to extend the I-495 Express Lanes from Springfield into Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The Southside Express Lanes project is a “complex and lengthy” undertaking, VDOT Northern Virginia District Megaprojects Director Michelle Shropshire told the D.C. region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at a meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
The goal is to provide “the best possible project that provides the best deal for our public,” she said.
VDOT is seeking regional and federal approval to add either one or two lanes in each direction on I-495 from a point just east of the Springfield Interchange in Virginia (also known as the Springfield Mixing Bowl) to Maryland Route 210.
Like Virginia’s other express lanes, the 11-mile project likely would be constructed as part of a public-private partnership.
Because the project would connect into an adjoining state — Maryland — the development process is different from previous tolled express lanes in Virginia.
“This will be new territory for us,” said Angel Deem, VDOT’s chief of policy.
Initially, VDOT had hoped to win TPB support for the project in 2024, but after concerns cropped up in a series of meetings last year, the transit agency was asked to do more detailed study and return in 2025.
TPB members are designated by the federal government to act as the transportation planning body for the region. The panel utilizes staffing from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Buy-in from officials in Maryland would be required to move forward, Virginia officials acknowledged. At the April 15 meeting, several TPB members from Maryland jurisdictions expressed ongoing concerns.
Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton advocated for some tolling funds to be allocated to future Metrorail service that would span the center of the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, where the express lanes are planned to run.
“There are a lot of people who want to see Metro in this area in the future,” Ashton said. “Having a dedicated funding source could be helpful.”
Ashton also sought unsuccessfully to pin down VDOT officials on whether there would be a maximum tolling amount for use of the lanes.
“We want to make sure there is a fair toll pricing if this goes through,” she said.
Kristen Weaver, a Greenbelt City Council member, voiced concern that results of a public survey conducted by VDOT seemed skewed in favor of toll lanes by leaving out a wider array of other questions.
“It would be better to give people the full range of options and see if they really are supporting this, given the choices they might have,” Weaver said. “We need to be looking at the big picture.”
While the project is being developed by Virginia transportation officials, Maryland leaders will hold an effective veto. Deem said that without support from Prince George’s County, the proposal would be a non-starter.
VDOT opted to move forward with a northern extension of the I-495 Express Lanes despite Maryland stalling and ultimately going back to the drawing board, frustrating Virginia officials who argue congestion relief and a replacement of the American Legion Bridge are urgently needed.
For the Southside project, concerns aren’t limited to the Maryland side. Falls Church City Council member David Snyder said he was eager to see a response to objections to the project lodged by the Coalition for Smarter Growth and other organizations.
“The region should not make multi-billion dollar decisions on projects with significant community and environmental impact without fairly and objectively modeling traffic and evaluating alternatives,” the Coalition for Smarter Growth said in a statement.
At a meeting last November, a number of Fairfax County supervisors expressed concerns about the project and the impact of spillover traffic into surrounding neighborhoods.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who chaired the April 15 TPB meeting, asked if VDOT has begun studying how traffic onto adjacent arterial and neighborhood roads might be affected.
Shropshire said that will come later.
“We have a well-established process. That’s what we’re going by,” she said.
State transportation officials currently are engaged in a pre-approval assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
They will return to TPB officials with an update in July, and the board is expected to vote in September on whether to include the Southside Express Lanes in the regional Visualize 2050 transportation policy package.
Also in September, members of Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board will make their selection from among three options — no change, one toll lane in each direction or two in each direction.
Federal officials are expected to issue a ruling in early 2026 on whether the project meets NEPA standards. A positive report will allow transportation officials to move forward with selecting a private-sector partner.
The project won’t reduce general purpose travel lanes, VDOT officials said, as the toll lanes can be accommodated in the median of I-495 and the Wilson Bridge.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has expressed interest in providing another Virginia-to-Maryland rail connection using the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, but it remains in the conceptual stage with no funding sources identified.
If rail service ultimately was funded, it would likely would require the use of one travel lane in each direction for much of the route, including over the Wilson Bridge.
Since late 2023, Fairfax County leaders have pressed VDOT to include transit options in the Southside project. At the TPB meeting, Shropshire said plans are being developed for a bus route that could connect Tysons to Prince George’s County using the lanes.
VDOT’s public comment period for this series of public information meetings is open through April 21, and the online comment form can be found on their web page at: I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study April 2025 – Public Input.
