VDOT | FFXnow - Part 14

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

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.

News

NEW: A pedestrian crossing on Route 123 from Tysons Corner Center is in the works

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 13, 2022 at 1:30PM

The intersection of Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Tysons Blvd outside Tysons Corner Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Talks are underway to design a street-level crossing across Route 123 at Tysons Blvd, a daunting challenge that would — at least in theory — improve access to Tysons Corner Center for pedestrians, bicyclists and others.

Fairfax County, the Virginia Department of Transportation and Macerich, the mall owner and developer, are currently hashing out an agreement for the crossing as an alternative to the existing pedestrian bridge that links the mall’s plaza to the Tysons Metro station on the other side of Route 123, also known as Chain Bridge Road.

Countywide

With 23 pedestrians dead, advocates call for action to make Fairfax County roads safer

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 22, 2022 at 11:45AM | Updated December 5, 2022 at 10:41AM

Each candle represents a pedestrian killed in a crash in Fairfax County this year (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

(Updated at 10:40 a.m. on 12/5/2022) Even with one month left, 2022 is the deadliest year for Fairfax County pedestrians in more than a decade.

Through October, vehicle crashes have killed 22 people on streets and highways in the county — the most since at least 2010, the earliest year in Virginia’s Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS). The previous high came in 2018 and 2019, when there were 17 fatalities each.

Countywide

I-66 toll lanes will change from HOV2 to HOV3 starting next month

By Matt Blitz

Published November 21, 2022 at 9:30AM

A mini-van takes the I-66 Express Lanes, now open in the Centreville area (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

If you plan on driving the newly extended I-66 Express Lanes next month, make sure there are at least two other people in the car to avoid paying a toll.

The entire length of the I-66 toll lanes will shift from HOV2 to HOV3 in early December, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently announced.

News

New Beltway ramp to I-66 opens in Dunn Loring ahead of toll lanes

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 14, 2022 at 10:30AM | Updated November 14, 2022 at 3:27PM

I-495 North is getting a new ramp to the I-66 West general purpose lanes, while the existing ramp will lead to the new I-66 Express Lanes (via VDOT)

Updated at 3:25 p.m. — The switch to the new I-495 North ramp to I-66 is now scheduled to be implemented tomorrow night and will be in place early Wednesday morning (Nov. 16), VDOT says.

Earlier: The Capital Beltway is getting a new ramp in Dunn Loring, as the Virginia Department of Transportation prepares to open another segment of the extended I-66 Express Lanes.

Countywide

JUST IN: I-66 Express Lanes expected to fully open this month

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 10, 2022 at 5:00PM

The I-66 Express Lanes at the Vienna Metro station, as of September (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The extended I-66 Express Lanes outside the Capital Beltway will open ahead of schedule, the Virginia Department of Transportation says.

Previously scheduled to arrive in December, the lanes will open in the westbound direction from I-495 in Dunn Loring to Route 28 in Centreville as soon as Saturday, Nov. 19, VDOT said in a news release snuck in just before a three-day weekend.

News

Express lanes project will soon close I-495 North exit to Dulles Toll Road

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 7, 2022 at 9:30AM

The current end of the I-495 North Express Lanes in Tysons (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Starting next week, all drivers traveling north on the Capital Beltway through Tysons will share the same exit to get to the westbound Dulles Toll Road.

The existing Exit 45 will be closed around Wednesday, Nov. 16, so construction can begin on a new bridge for the Beltway (I-495) over the toll road ramps, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Thursday (Nov. 3).

Countywide

Bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Beltway opens in Tysons

By Vernon Miles

Published October 26, 2022 at 11:45AM

Person walks across a new pedestrian/cyclist bridge in Tysons (image courtesy VDOT)

A new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians is connecting two parts of Tysons previously separated by the Beltway.

The new bridge helps provide a link between the residential communities east of the Beltway to the Tysons Corner Center mall.

News

VDOT offers new park to make up for 495 NEXT encroaching on Scott’s Run Nature Preserve

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 7, 2022 at 10:30AM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 2:43PM

The Potomac River seen from Scott's Run Nature Preserve in McLean (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The ongoing widening of I-495 from Tysons to McLean will require the permanent taking of 1.15 acres from Scott’s Run Nature Preserve.

As compensation, the Virginia Department of Transportation has proposed building a new park for the Fairfax County Park Authority on a 1.83-acre site at the corner of Georgetown Pike and Balls Hill Road that it currently uses as a maintenance yard.

News

I-495 widening will require removal of cell tower in McLean, potentially affecting service

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 5, 2022 at 10:30AM

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

A cell tower by the Capital Beltway in McLean must be removed before the end of this year to make way for the road’s widening, leaving Fairfax County and state transportation leaders scrambling to prevent future service disruptions.

The 135-foot-tall monopole stands right next to I-495 at the Old Dominion Drive bridge, which will be replaced by a new two-lane bridge with a shared-use path as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project.