The new toll lanes on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean have been operating for a few months now, but construction on the project known as 495 NEXT is not yet complete.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will set the stage for a new milestone tonight (Monday) with a traffic shift on the Georgetown Pike Bridge over I-495.
Starting at 10 p.m., multiple lanes of Georgetown Pike will close through 5 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) so traffic on the eastbound travel lanes can be shifted to a newly constructed southern portion of the bridge.
“Both eastbound and westbound traffic will be maintained but will be facilitated by a flagging operation,” VDOT said in a press release announcing the shift. “Police will be on site to assist in directing traffic.”
The ramps from northbound I-495 to Georgetown Pike and from Georgetown Pike to southbound I-495 will also close during that time, requiring drivers to follow detours:
Northbound I-495 (Beltway Inner Loop) to Georgetown Pike (Exit 44):
- From northbound I-495, take earlier exit for northbound Route 123/Chain Bridge Road (Exit 46B).
- Continue northbound on Route 123 to Georgetown Pike intersection.
Georgetown Pike to southbound I-495 (Beltway Outer Loop):
- Take Georgetown Pike to southbound Route 123/Dolley Madison Boulevard.
- Continue southbound on Route 123 to on-ramp for southbound I-495 (Beltway Outer Loop).
VDOT is advising all drivers “to use caution and expect potential delays if they travel through this area.”
After the shift, construction crews will focus on building a center median for the bridge, along with pedestrian facilities along both sides. The final touches will include paving, the addition of lane markings, and installations of permanent traffic signals and road signs.
Currently expected to be completed by the end of this spring, the new Georgetown Pike bridge will feature six travel lanes — three in each direction — as well as a 6-and-a-half-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side and a shared-use trail for pedestrians and bicyclists on the south side.
According to VDOT, the Georgetown Pike bridge is one of seven that were newly constructed or underwent rehabilitation as part of 495 NEXT, which extended the I-495 Express Lanes approximately 2.5 miles north from the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons to McLean just shy of the American Legion Bridge.
Intended to relieve congestion in the only corridor directly connecting Fairfax County to Montgomery County in Maryland, the $660 million project by VDOT and Express Lanes operator Transurban has been under construction since March 2022 and remains on track for completion around the middle of this year.
In addition to the Georgetown Pike Bridge, components that are still pending include:
- Constructing a 25-spot parking lot at the southeast corner of the Georgetown Pike Bridge and I-495 interchange, adjacent to Balls Hill Road and across from Cooper Middle School, for visitors to Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and users of the new shared-use trail.
- Completing the shared-use trail, which will extend from Lewinsville Road to Live Oak Drive.
- Final paving along Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike, and rehabilitation of the existing I-495 overpasses that connect I-495 with the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
- Revegetation throughout the project corridor.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration received more than 100 comments over the winter after seeking proposals for ways to speed up the delivery of an updated American Legion Bridge — a rare project where the Republican president and Democratic-controlled Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are of like minds.
Along with residents and community groups, the request for information attracted responses from several contractors that expressed interest in partnering with Maryland and the Federal Highway Administration on a rebuild of the decades-old span. The federal government is expected to make a decision this spring on an $800 million grant request from Maryland for the project, the Washington Business Journal reported last month.
