The I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project will introduce another change to the traffic patterns in McLean tonight (Wednesday).
Construction crews are scheduled to begin work this week on an extension of the northbound I-495 (Capital Beltway Inner Loop) ramp to southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway (GW Parkway), requiring the highway to be narrowed.
To make room for construction, an approximately 600-foot-long jersey barrier will be installed at the base of the existing ramp starting around 10 p.m. today.
“Following installation of the barrier, the ramp will be shifted by approximately 600 feet and narrowed from 12 to 11 feet wide to carry one lane of traffic,” the Virginia Department of Transportation said. “Once the ramp merges with the GWMP, traffic will continue to be reduced to one lane for about a quarter mile stretch, before transitioning back to two lanes.”
The reconfiguration will be in place by 5 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday), before the morning rush hour. It’s scheduled to remain in effect until around mid-September “to accommodate ramp construction and keep drivers and workers safe,” VDOT said.
The initial installation will require some overnight ramp closures and detours:
Ramp from northbound I-495 to GWMP (Exit 43) to close with following detour:
- From northbound I-495, take the earlier Exit 44 for Georgetown Pike
- Turn right at the traffic signal to go eastbound on Georgetown Pike
- Turn left onto Dolley Madison Boulevard and continue eastbound until the GWMP interchange
- Use the right exit for east/southbound GWMP or left exit for west/northbound GWMP
Ramp from southbound I-495 to GWMP (Exit 43) to close with following detour:
- Continue southbound on I-495 to Exit 44 for Georgetown Pike
- Turn left at the traffic signal to go eastbound on Georgetown Pike
- Turn left onto Dolley Madison Boulevard and continue eastbound until the GWMP interchange
- Use the right exit for east/southbound GWMP or left exit for west/northbound GWMP
After the concrete barrier is installed, drivers traveling south on the GW Parkway toward D.C. will still have access to a second lane during weekday rush hours from 5:30-9:30 a.m., though the added lane won’t provide access to local exits.
The second lane will be removed after Aug. 11, leaving just one open, southbound lane on GW Parkway until work on the ramp extension is complete.
The ramp is being lengthened by approximately 800 feet to accommodate a new northbound ramp for the I-495 Express Lanes, which are being extended approximately 3 miles north from the Dulles Toll Road past the GW Parkway.
According to VDOT, the new ramp will “allow for a smoother transition for all traffic merging from the Beltway to the” parkway.
Construction on 495 NEXT has been underway since spring 2022. The new toll lanes are expected to begin operations in late December, and the full project — including a shared-use path parallel to the Beltway from Lewinsville Road to near Live Oak Drive — is on track for completion in mid-2026.
VDOT finished shifting traffic to new southbound lanes last week, more than a week later than initially anticipated. That shift allowed crews to begin work on building the new toll lanes.
