A portion of the sidewalk along westbound Georgetown Pike in McLean has been closed for construction.
The closure of the path between Balls Hill Road and the ramp from southbound I-495 began earlier this week and is expected to continue through Nov. 13, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
“Pedestrians should stay alert, follow posted detour signs and use extra caution when traveling in this area,” VDOT said in a notice of the closure.
According to a VDOT spokesperson, the sidewalk needs to be reconstructed so crews can “install a small retaining wall around an adjacent traffic signal control box.”
The sidewalk and retaining wall work will also require periodic closures of the right westbound lane on Georgetown Pike from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Those closures will be implemented “as needed,” VDOT said.
“Drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians should use caution when traveling in this area,” the department said, adding that the work could be extended or rescheduled if there are delays due to inclement weather or other issues.
The Georgetown Pike and I-495 interchange was overhauled just a year ago as part of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, which added approximately 2.5 miles of toll lanes on the Capital Beltway from the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons to just north of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean.
At Georgetown Pike, the project replaced the bridge with a new, six-lane structure that also features a 6.5-foot-wide sidewalk on its north side. It also added a channelized right turn from westbound Georgetown Pike to northbound I-495, three stormwater management ponds and a trail connection from the bridge to nearby Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.
The new toll lanes are approaching one full year of operations after first opening up to traffic on Nov. 23, 2025.
According to Transurban, the private operator of the I-495 Express Lanes, approximately 1.1 million “unique” drivers have taken 4.2 million trips in the new express lanes since they launched.
The 495 NEXT project also added 2.5 miles of shared-use trail through the corridor. Officially opened on June 27, the 10-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian trail runs parallel to the Beltway between Lewinsville Road and Live Oak Drive.
