road construction | FFXnow

New tax rates approved to pay off Fairfax County’s Silver Line debts

Published March 31, 2023 at 2:15PM

An existing Silver Line train at the McLean Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The final touches on the first phase of the Silver Line project that brought Metro into Tysons are falling into place, almost a decade after the five new rail stations in Fairfax County opened.

Construction on the shoulder of the Dulles Connector Road — which links the Dulles Toll Road in Tysons to the I-66 interchange in Idylwood — has been completed, according to a presentation that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation gave to the Board of Supervisors’ Phase 1 Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District Commission on Tuesday (March 28).

News

McLean residents sue to stop I-495 widening over environmental impacts

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 20, 2023 at 10:15AM | Updated March 20, 2023 at 11:57AM

Construction on the 495 NEXT project has cleared land by the GW Parkway for a stormwater pond, seen on March 15, 2023 (photo by Stephen Jasak)

(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) A group of McLean residents opposed to the extension of the I-495 toll lanes past their neighborhoods have turned to the courts in a bid to halt the project, now in its second year of construction.

The Northern Virginia (NOVA) Citizens Association filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Thursday (March 16) alleging that major revisions to the project design violated federal law, resulting in “significant on-going environmental harms” to residents.

Countywide

VDOT: Toll lanes operator’s exit from Maryland project won’t affect I-495 widening in Virginia

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 14, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated March 16, 2023 at 2:49PM

On the Capital Beltway at the American Legion Bridge into Maryland (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 2:50 p.m. on 3/16/2023) Virginia’s extension of the I-495 Express Lanes past the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean remains on track for a 2025 opening, even as its counterpart across the Potomac River faces another setback in its efforts to widen the Capital Beltway.

Private toll lanes operator Transurban pulled out of Maryland’s project to add toll lanes on its side of the Beltway and replace the American Legion Bridge on Friday (March 10), citing “significant delays to environmental approvals, changing political landscape and environmental lawsuits that remain unresolved.”

News

Construction now underway to widen Route 29 outside Centreville

By Melanie Pincus

Published March 8, 2023 at 9:30AM

Construction has begun to widen Route 29 between Legato and Centreville (via VDOT)

Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Transportation have kicked off construction to widen a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 29 near Centreville.

Though there will be a ceremonial groundbreaking today (Wednesday), construction on the project began Feb. 9 to add two lanes to the roadway between Union Mill Road and Buckleys Gate Drive.

News

Nutley Street roundabouts at I-66 slated to open tomorrow

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 27, 2023 at 10:15AM

A finish line is in sight for construction on the redesigned Nutley Street/I-66 interchange (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The overhaul of the Nutley Street and I-66 interchange is nearing completion, promising an end to the unpredictability that has characterized trips near the Vienna Metro station over the past three years.

Two new roundabouts at the interchange are scheduled to open tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, the Virginia Department of Transportation recently announced, cautioning drivers to yield to traffic in the loops when entering.

News

Repairs underway on GW Parkway’s Pimmit Run bridge in McLean

By Angela Woolsey

Published February 6, 2023 at 11:00AM

Construction crews are building a temporary lane on the GW Parkway in McLean (courtesy NPS)

Work has begun on repairs to the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s bridge over Pimmit Run in McLean.

Construction crews are repairing façades of the structures that support the Pimmit Run Bridge as part of the ongoing project to rehabilitate the parkway’s northern section from the Capital Beltway (I-495) to Sprout Run Parkway in Arlington, according to the National Park Service.

News

Effort to relocate cell tower by I-495 in McLean still ongoing

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 3, 2023 at 2:15PM | Updated January 5, 2023 at 3:47PM

The cell tower by I-495 at the Old Dominion Drive bridge in McLean (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 3:45 p.m. on 1/5/2023) The search is still on for a new site to host a cell tower in McLean that has to be removed to make room for the widening Capital Beltway.

The monopole, which is owned by American Cell Towers and supports AT&T and T-Mobile service, was officially decommissioned on Dec. 9, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

News

East Spring Street widening begins next week, lane closures expected

By Fatimah Waseem

Published December 30, 2022 at 9:30AM

The new year will ring in the beginning of a new construction project in Herndon.

Nearly $23 million in improvements to East Spring Street are slated to begin Tuesday (Jan. 3), according to the Town of Herndon.

News

Part of Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run set to open tomorrow

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 29, 2022 at 1:30PM

A rendering of the planned Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run with an inset photo of the existing bridge (via VDOT)

A portion of the new Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run near Vienna is expected to open for traffic this week.

Vehicles will shift onto one lane of the new bridge between Crowell Road (Route 675) and Cobble Mill Road starting around 2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday), the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

News

McLean residents affected by I-495 widening push for possible legislative action

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 21, 2022 at 3:00PM

Trees along Live Oak Drive in McLean have been cut down so the Beltway can be widened (photo by April Georgelas)

The project to extend the I-495 Express Lanes north toward the American Legion Bridge has been under construction for half a year now, but some McLean residents remain as determined as ever to fight the Beltway’s encroachment into their neighborhoods.

Residents along Live Oak Drive in particular have consistently argued that they will face the most disruptions from the I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) without getting the congestion relief benefits touted by the Virginia Department of Transportation.