A community celebration is set for this coming Saturday, June 27 to mark the opening of a new shared-use bicycle and pedestrian trail adjacent to the Capital Beltway (I-495) in McLean.
A joint effort of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Transurban, the trail is one of the final multimodal features of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, which extended the interstate’s toll lanes past the GW Parkway in McLean and updated seven bridges.
The 2.5-trail runs parallel to the Beltway between Lewinsville Road and Live Oak Drive in McLean. It will provide connections to the Fairfax County Park Authority’s trail system and Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.
According to VDOT:
“Situated behind new noise walls, the trail provides a safe, separated facility for bicyclists and pedestrians with newly-built connections across the Beltway at Lewinsville Road, Old Dominion Drive and Georgetown Pike.”
Opening of the trail on June 27 “marks a significant milestone in the 495 NEXT project,” said Michelle Shropshire, VDOT’s Northern Virginia deputy district engineer and megaprojects director.
“While the new express lanes extension opened to traffic in November 2025, the new shared-use path is an important project feature that demonstrates VDOT’s ongoing commitment to delivering multimodal benefits as part of our express lanes projects,” Shropshire said.
Beau Memory, president of Transurban North America, said the trail would deliver “yet another travel choice to Northern Virginia.”
“Providing accessibility to our outdoor spaces for walkers, bike riders and more supports our neighbors’ well-being and helps more people enjoy our region,” Memory said.
To celebrate the opening of the trail, VDOT and Transurban will host a free community 4.95K fun-run-style event on Saturday morning to introduce the new trail to the public.
The event will begin at the site of a future annex parking lot for Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, with parking available nearby at Holy Trinity Church (850 Balls Hill Road).
A casual run will begin around 8:30 a.m. There is no charge, but registration is required.
A kid-friendly run will begin at 9:15 a.m., and family entertainment will be available in the lot before and after the run.
Work is continuing to get the trail ready by June 27. Ongoing efforts include completing the installation of handrails and fencing.
Because the work is not complete, and because the trail is being used by equipment involved in efforts to replant areas affected by the construction of 495 NEXT, it will not be accessible to the public until June 27.
Featuring approximately 25 spaces and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk on Balls Hill Road leading into Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, the new annex parking lot will open to the public “in the coming months,” VDOT said. The department offered the “park” as a concession to the Fairfax County Park Authority in exchange for 1.15 acres of the nature preserve needed for 495 NEXT.
