Direct Access Ramp Off I-66 To West Falls Church Metro To Open

FALLS CHURCH, VA — A new ramp providing direct access from Interstate 66 East to the West Falls Church Metro Station is planned to open midday Thursday.

The new I-66 Eastbound direct access ramp connects two existing ramps — the ramp from I-66 East to Route 7 and the ramp from Route 7 East to I-66 East — to allow drivers to reach the eastbound I-66 collector-distributor road adjacent to the Metro station's parking garage.

The project is part of the I-66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project.

“This direct access ramp will save time for motorists heading to the West Falls Church Metrorail Station and reduce traffic on an often-congested section of Route 7,” Mark Gibney, the Virginia Department of Transportation’s design-build project manager, said in a statement.

Construction on the ramp included adding an additional lane to the exit ramp from I-66 East and widening the bridge over Route 7 to provide room for drivers to merge with vehicles on the existing ramp.

When the ramp opens, drivers exiting I-66 East will choose to stay right to reach Route 7 or stay left to reach the West Falls Church Metro Station and Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center.

Vehicles from I-66 East currently reach the station by exiting to Route 7 East, turning left at the traffic signal onto Haycock Road, then turning left at the traffic signal onto Falls Church Drive.

The I-66 Eastbound Widening Project has added a travel lane along four miles of eastbound I-66, which opened last December, and built a new bridge over Lee Highway for the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, which opened in March.

The project has also installed approximately 12,000 feet of new and replacement noise barriers along I-66.

Remaining work to replace bearings on the I-66 East bridge over Sycamore Street and upgrade traffic signals at Route 29 intersections with Fairfax Drive and Washington Boulevard is expected to be complete later this summer.

The I-66 Eastbound Widening Project is part of an $85.7 million contract with Lane Construction Corporation.

RELATED: W&OD Trail Bridge Opens At Arlington-Falls Church Border