VDOT has begun construction on toll lanes for the I-495 NEXT project in McLean, Va. Traffic shifts and ramp closures are in effect as work progresses towards extending express lanes and improving road safety and congestion. Challenges ahead include coordination with Maryland for their side of the project.
After three years of construction on its I-495 Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has begun advancing work on the actual toll lanes.
To make way for the new lanes, crews shifted traffic on June 27, 2025, for all four southbound, general-purpose lanes on I-495 (also known as the Capital Beltway Outer Loop) to newly built lanes in McLean, Va., according to FFXNow, an online news source serving Fairfax County, Va.
The realignment process affects traffic from just north of the George Washington (GW) Memorial Parkway to just south of Georgetown Pike. Three lanes have closed between the GW Parkway and Lewinsville Road, along with the ramps between I-495 and the Parkway (Exit 43) and Georgetown Pike (Exit 44).
A similar reconfiguration of traffic was implemented for northbound I-495 in May 2025.
According to the state transportation agency, work on the new toll lanes will include:
• demolishing old piers in the highway median for the replaced bridges at Live Oak Drive, Georgetown Pike, and Old Dominion Drive;
• constructing new ramps;
• demolishing old center lane pavement;
• installing new stormwater drainage;
• installing new tolling and traffic management system infrastructure; and
• building the foundation and paving and striping the new express lanes.
VDOT cautioned drivers to "slow down, eliminate distractions, and drive with heightened caution," as they get used to the new alignment and crews ramp up construction in the center of the highway.
"As construction continues in this portion of I-495, travelers should expect narrowed lanes and shoulders, traffic pattern adjustments and lane closures during non-peak travel times," the agency said in its statement.
More People, Congestion Led to Building 495 NEXT Project
Under construction since March 2022, 495 NEXT's goal is to extend the I-495 Express Lanes approximately 3 mi. north from the Dulles Toll Road past the GW Parkway to a point just short of the American Legion Bridge.
The extended 495 Express Lanes are expected to open late 2025, with the project completed in 2026.
The new toll lanes also are on track to begin operations in the latter part of 2025.
Other elements of the project, including a pedestrian and bicycle trail along the corridor and a new parking area for Scott's Run Nature Preserve, are expected to be finished in mid-2026, VDOT said.
In coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), VDOT developed the project's goals and objectives through a comprehensive process that included a review of previous studies and recent or planned projects; an analysis of traffic, environmental and socioeconomic conditions in the region; and feedback from the public and federal, regional, state and local agencies through a scoping process.
When completed, the 495 NEXT project will address reducing congestion and improving roadway safety, provide additional traffic choices and improve travel reliability.
To achieve each of the three goals, VDOT officials noted:
• As population and employment within the greater Washington, D.C. region continues to grow, the increase in traffic volumes and travel demand along the I-495 corridor will result in increased congestion, delays and safety concerns. There is a need to address existing and future travel demand and relieve pressure on the general purpose lanes and the surrounding roadway network.
• The existing 495 Express Lanes end at Old Dominion Drive, limiting travel choices for HOV and single-occupant vehicles within the study area, with no viable options to bypass congestion or bottlenecks. As such, an additional option is needed to allow users to bypass congestion in the general purpose lanes and to choose a mode that best suits their individual needs.
• Congestion along the I-495 corridor also results in highly variable travel speeds and travel times, which are expected to worsen as the population, employment and traffic volumes in the region increase. Consistent, reliable and predictable travel times are needed for commuters and freight movement.
In addition, FFXNow noted that the opening of the new express lanes will presumably help speed up service for the Fairfax Connector's Express Route 789 between Tysons, Va., and Bethesda, Md., which launched in September 2024 as the only bus between Fairfax County, Va., and Maryland's Montgomery County.
However, Fairfax officials have warned that the project's capacity to relieve congestion will be limited until Maryland moves forward with plans to replace the American Legion Bridge and add toll lanes on its side of the Potomac. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore put the project on hold as his state grapples with a tight budget that has now prompted a hiring freeze.
Similar concerns also have percolated around VDOT's proposal to add toll lanes on the south side of I-495, FFXNow reported.
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