The new Nutley Street interchange at I-66 just south of Vienna is about to achieve its final form.
Lanes that will let drivers going from Nutley to I-66 bypass the dreaded roundabouts are scheduled to open tomorrow (Wednesday), the Virginia Department of Transportation recently announced.
With the added bypass lanes, the interchange will be in its “permanent configuration,” VDOT said.
The area has been under construction since 2019 as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project, which added 22.5 miles of toll lanes on I-66 from the Capital Beltway in Dunn Loring to Route 29 in Gainesville.
In preparation for the bypass lanes, there have been some lane closures on Nutley Street so crews can finish paving the roadway.
Starting at 9 p.m. today (Tuesday) until 5 a.m. tomorrow, the northbound lanes from Saintsbury Drive to the bridge and the southbound lanes from Virginia Center Blvd to the bridge will be closed.
Northbound drivers will be detoured left onto Saintsbury Drive and then right onto Vaden Drive and Virginia Center Boulevard to get to Nutley, while southbound drivers will be directed along the same route in the opposite direction.
“Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area and are encouraged to use alternate routes,” VDOT said. “All work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled to the following day should inclement conditions occur.”
Though community members have called the roundabouts “dangerous” and a “mess,” VDOT said the new configuration will provide “safer, more efficient travel” for vehicles entering and exiting I-66, as well as drivers and pedestrians on Nutley.
Compared to straight-on intersections, roundabouts reduce serious crashes by slowing vehicles down and minimizing points of conflict, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
As part of the Transform 66 project, VDOT has also been constructing a shared-use path along I-66, opening the first completed section on May 17. Crossings at the Nutley interchange are slated to open in the middle of this month.