The Virginia Department of Transportation is urging drivers to avoid traveling on southbound I-495 in McLean tonight (Thursday) while its crews finish realigning the highway.
Three southbound lanes will close to traffic, starting at 8:30 p.m. with a single left lane and continuing with two other lanes by 9:30 p.m. The closures will extend from Georgetown Pike to the area just south of the American Legion Bridge.
“These closures are necessary for 495 NEXT crews to finish shifting the general purpose lanes on southbound I-495 into their final alignment for the project and reopen right-hand shoulders in the area,” VDOT said in a traffic alert sent out this morning.
Traffic near the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange will be required to stop for up to 30 minutes at some point between midnight and 5 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) so that workers can open the two left-most lanes and close the two right-most ones.
All lanes on the Capital Beltway Outer Loop will reopen by 5 a.m. tomorrow.
“To avoid potential backups and delays, motorists are urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes,” VDOT said. “If travel through the 495 NEXT corridor is necessary, motorists are advised to plan extra travel time and expect delays.”
If there is inclement weather, the construction work will be postponed to tomorrow night into Saturday morning (Oct. 18), though as of press time, there’s no rain in the forecast.
Construction on 495 NEXT, which is extending the I-495 Express Lanes approximately 2.5 miles from the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons past the GW Parkway, has been ongoing since spring 2022. The new toll lanes are expected to open by the end of 2025, though the overall project won’t be completed around mid-2026.
In addition to expanding the express lanes, 495 NEXT is adding a shared-use path parallel to the Capital Beltway from Lewinsville Road to near Live Oak Drive.
