I-495 | FFXnow

Virginia officials promise traffic relief with new I-495 toll lanes opening this weekend

Published November 21, 2025 at 3:30PM

Officials cut a ribbon to celebrate the impending opening of new I-495 Express Lanes (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After more than three years of construction, the new Capital Beltway toll lanes in McLean will welcome their first drivers on Sunday (Nov. 23), just in time for next week’s Thanksgiving travel rush.

Though the start of tolling operations has been delayed by a day due to expected rain tonight (Friday), Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay and other officials gathered this morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in anticipation of the occasion at the Hyatt Regency hotel at Tysons Corner Center.

News

UPDATED: New I-495 toll lanes on track to open before Thanksgiving

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 30, 2025 at 1:45PM | Updated November 10, 2025 at 5:12PM

Construction continues on the new toll lanes on I-495 approaching the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Update — The new I-495 Express Lanes are on track to open ahead of schedule on Saturday, Nov. 22, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced on Nov. 10.

In addition to two toll lanes in each direction, the opening will include dedicated ramps from the Dulles Toll Road to the northbound express lanes and between the express lanes and the GW Parkway.

News

Lane closures to disrupt traffic on I-495 South in McLean overnight

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 16, 2025 at 3:00PM

Construction area along I-495 at the GW Parkway interchange (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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.

News

Key vote on I-495 Southside express lanes project postponed to 2026 or beyond

By Scott McCaffrey

Published October 15, 2025 at 3:30PM

Traffic heading west on I-495 in Alexandria near South Van Dorn Street (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A key regional planning body voted today (Wednesday) to defer until at least 2026 any further consideration of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s plan to extend express lanes on the south side of the Capital Beltway (I-495) across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and into Maryland.

“The project is simply not ready,” said Eric Olson, a member of the Prince George’s County Council who sits on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

News

UPDATED: Three people seriously injured after race on I-495 turns into fiery crash

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 29, 2025 at 2:45PM | Updated September 30, 2025 at 2:23PM

Police activity on I-495 near South Van Dorn Street after a fiery crash on Sept. 29, 2025 (via traffic cam/SafetyVid)

A call to address an apparent race on the Capital Beltway (I-495) turned into a lifesaving operation for the Virginia State Police last night (Sunday).

According to the VSP, its troopers were dispatched around 10:52 p.m. for a report of “multiple vehicles driving recklessly” near southbound I-495 and Braddock Road in the Springfield area.

News

Motorcyclist dies in crash on I-495 after skidding on wet road, police say

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 24, 2025 at 10:15AM

The exit ramp from I-495 North to eastbound Route 50 in West Falls Church (via Google Maps)

Drizzly overnight weather contributed to a fatal motorcycle crash on the Capital Beltway near West Falls Church, police say.

Troopers responded to the ramp from I-495 North to eastbound Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) around 5:38 a.m. for the crash, according to the Virginia State Police.

News

Supervisors back VDOT on Southside Express Lanes, but Md. may have final say

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 18, 2025 at 2:45PM

Proposed route of I-495 Southside Express Lanes project (via VDOT)

Fairfax supervisors on Tuesday (Sept. 16) informally confirmed their support of the Interstate 495 Southside Express Lanes project as it moves toward a make-or-break regional vote next month.

Despite concerns about specifics of the 11-mile-long toll-lanes proposal across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, even the most skeptical supervisors said they supported keeping the project moving through the review process.

News

Critics press their concerns as vote on I-495 Southside Express toll lanes plan looms

By Scott McCaffrey

Published July 30, 2025 at 2:45PM

Proposed route of I-495 Southside Express Lanes project (via VDOT)

Despite a full-court press from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the future of its plan to extend express lanes on the south side of the Capital Beltway (I-495) remains up in the air as the deadline for a decision looms.

The project to add 11 miles of toll roads connecting Springfield with Prince George’s County over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is a “critical” piece of transportation planning, a top VDOT official told members of the D.C. region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) on July 16.

News

Work to begin on extending I-495 ramp in McLean, affecting traffic

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 30, 2025 at 8:30AM

The merge area from northbound I-495 to the George Washington Memorial Parkway will be temporarily reduced to one lane, starting July 30, 2025 (via VDOT)

The I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project will introduce another change to the traffic patterns in McLean tonight (Wednesday).

Construction crews are scheduled to begin work this week on an extension of the northbound I-495 (Capital Beltway Inner Loop) ramp to southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway (GW Parkway), requiring the highway to be narrowed.

News

Police: Motorcyclist dies after crashing on I-495 in Huntington

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 22, 2025 at 1:50PM

A Virginia State Police vehicle (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Police are investigating a second fatal crash that occurred on the Capital Beltway (I-495) yesterday afternoon (Monday).

Virginia State Police troopers responded to westbound I-495 near Telegraph Road in Huntington around 5:32 p.m. for a crash involving a motorcyclist who collided with a guardrail.