I-66, I-95 in Arlington Are Going to be a Mess Soon

ARLINGTON, VA — Major upcoming construction projects will cause significant backups on Interstates 66 and 95, so be prepared.

The Virginia Department of Transportation warns that the eastbound lanes of I-66 in Arlington will be completely shut down for 20 minutes at a time on Tuesday starting at midnight and continuing until 4 a.m. the next morning. In addition, there will be single-lane closures from 9:30 p.m. until 5 a.m.

The closures are necessary for "tolling construction," VDOT says.

"To ensure the public's safety, Virginia State Police will stop and hold eastbound traffic ahead of the construction activity," the VDOT statement reads. "Traffic will be released after the 20-minute operations are completed."

VDOT has issued this warning several times before, so this may not be the last time I-66 lanes are shut down for construction in the coming weeks.

In addition, VDOT is advising commuters to avoid I-95 south in the Dale City area for two weekends: April 29-May 1, and May 5-8. VDOT will be closing lanes for bridge deck repair, and "congestion and delays are expected to be extensive."

While Dale City is a ways from Arlington, southbound I-95 backups, even small ones, often reach into the county. With this expected to be a significant backup, you may find problems attempting to go south on I-95 on those weekends.

"The bridge, originally built in 1963, has been regularly inspected and maintained, and remains safe, but is in urgent need of large-scale repairs to sections of the deck," VDOT states. "The needed work will include saw-cutting and jackhammering out three bridge sections, the largest being 10 feet by 33 feet, replacing the reinforcing rebar, and pouring new concrete. Work will affect the bridge deck, joint, and abutment. Due to the time needed to cut the large sections and set the concrete, completing this work over two weekends is necessary (as opposed to multiple overnight closures). VDOT also wants to ensure that the repairs are completed after spring breaks, but before heavy summer travel begins."

Image via VDOT