After three years of construction on its I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, the Virginia Department of Transportation is preparing to advance work on the actual toll lanes.
To make way for the new lanes, crews will shift traffic for all four southbound, general-purpose lanes on I-495 (also known as the Capital Beltway Outer Loop) to newly built lanes in McLean, starting tomorrow (Friday) around 8 p.m.
The realignment process will affect traffic from just north of the George Washington Memorial Parkway to just south of Georgetown Pike. Three lanes will close between the GW Parkway and Lewinsville Road by 10 p.m., along with the ramps between I-495 and the parkway (Exit 43) and Georgetown Pike (Exit 44).
One southbound general-purpose lane will stay open, but police will direct drivers during “intermittent” stoppages between midnight and 5 a.m. on Saturday (June 28).
All of the new southbound lanes are expected to open by 10 a.m. on Saturday (June 28). After the shift, drivers will have separate exits to the GW Parkway and Georgetown Pike in place of the existing collector road that starts south of the American Legion Bridge.
“Saturday and Sunday nights will serve as backup dates in case of inclement weather or other work delays,” VDOT said in a press release, noting that the lane closures would start at 8 p.m. and end at 10 a.m. the following day in either case.
The realignment of the Outer Loop will continue around July 11, when the section from Georgetown Pike down toward the Dulles Toll Road near Old Dominion Drive will shift to the new southbound lanes.
“Both of these traffic shifts are necessary for crews to access the center portion of the Beltway to build the new 495 Express Lanes,” VDOT said.
A similar reconfiguration of traffic was implemented for northbound I-495 in May.
According to VDOT, work on the new toll lanes will include:
- Demolishing old piers in the highway median for the replaced bridges at Live Oak Drive, Georgetown Pike and Old Dominion Drive
- Constructing new ramps
- Demolishing retired center lane pavement
- Installing new stormwater drainage
- Installing new tolling and traffic management system infrastructure
- Building the foundation, paving and striping the new express lanes
The department says drivers should “slow down, eliminate distractions and drive with heightened caution,” as they get used to the new alignment and construction in the center of the highway ramps up.
“As construction continues in this portion of I-495, travelers should expect narrowed lanes and shoulders, traffic pattern adjustments and lane closures during non-peak travel times,” VDOT said.
Under construction since spring 2022, 495 NEXT is extending the I-495 Express Lanes approximately 3 miles north from the Dulles Toll Road past the GW Parkway, just short of the American Legion Bridge. The new toll lanes are on track to begin operations later this year.
Other elements of the project, including a pedestrian and bicycle trail along the corridor and a new parking area for Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, are expected to be finished in mid-2026, VDOT says.
The opening of the new express lanes will presumably help speed up service for Fairfax Connector’s Express Route 789 between Tysons and Bethesda, which launched last September as the only bus between Fairfax and Montgomery counties.
However, local officials have warned that the project’s capacity to relieve congestion will be limited until Maryland moves forward with plans to replace the American Legion Bridge and add toll lanes on its side of the Potomac River. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore put the project on hold as his state grapples with a tight budget that has now prompted a hiring freeze.
Similar concerns have also percolated around VDOT’s proposal to add toll lanes on the south side of I-495.
