I-495 NEXT Project Clear To Advance To Design, Construction

MCLEAN, VA — The I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project received federal approvals on its environmental assessment, allowing the project to advance to the design and construction phase.

The Federal Highway Administration and National Park Service gave a "Finding of No Significant Impact" on the environmental assessment for the Express Lanes extension project. The Federal Highway Administration also granted approval to the project’s interchange justification report, which includes a traffic study and analysis of the project's benefits. The environmental assessment began in 2018, looking at site-specific conditions and potential impacts of the Express Lanes extension on the environment.

The Virginia Department of Transportation's I-495 NEXT project will extend Express Lanes on Interstate 495 between Dulles Toll Road and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Additional Express Lane access will be provided at the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Access Road interchange as well as the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange.

The project will also replace existing bridges over I-495 at Old Dominion Drive, Georgetown Pike and Live Oak Drive with sidewalks and trail crossings for bicyclists and pedestrians. Over two miles of new and improved bicyclist and pedestrian facilities will be provided, including a shared-use path running parallel to I-495 from Lewinsville Road to Live Oak Drive. VDOT will also replace nine existing noise walls and construct a new noise wall along Live Oak Drive in the vicinity of the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange. Stormwater management features will also be improved, including new outfalls and stream bank stabilization at Scotts Run and a funding commitment from VDOT’s private project partner for Fairfax County’s planned stream restoration.

The private partner for the Express Lanes extension is Transurban, which runs the I-495, I-395 and I-95 Express Lanes in Northern Virginia. The existing I-495 Express Lanes run from Springfield to the Dulles Toll Road. VDOT and Transurban are finalizing an agreement where Transurban will be responsible for the project's financing, design, construction, and maintenance of the extended express lanes.

According to VDOT, the Express Lanes extension in Northern Virginia could move an estimated 2,500 more people per hour in both directions in the I-495 corridor and reduce Express Lane travel times by 24 minutes during peak commute times.

Even with the Express Lanes extension to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, drivers would still be faced with the American Legion Bridge traffic, a major choke point for the region. A similar Express Lanes project is proposed for I-495 and I-270 in Maryland, which would include reconstructing the American Legion Bridge to accommodate Express Lanes. However, a regional transportation panel recently voted to remove the project from a federally-required environmental assessment. Without the federally-required environmental assessment, the project cannot advance.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors endorsed the I-495 Next project in April but acknowledged the importance of Maryland completing its Express Lane project. Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust opposed the endorsement, saying the 495 Next project negatively impacts general lane traffic until Maryland completes its project.

Construction on the 495 NEXT project is expected to start in 2022, and the extension could open in 2025.