NEWS RELEASE

495NEXT.vdot.virginia.gov

UPDATE, July 17, 2025: The traffic shift on southbound I-495 between Georgetown Pike and Lewinsville Road scheduled for July 18 has been postponed, and work will be rescheduled to overnight hours early next week.

July 15, 2025

McLean – On or about this Friday night, July 18, crews plan to implement the second of two traffic shifts of all four lanes on southbound I-495 (Beltway Outer Loop) within the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project area. This second phase will shift southbound I-495 lanes from Georgetown Pike to midway between Old Dominion Drive and Lewinsville Road onto newly constructed lanes on the outer section of the highway. Work will begin Friday night, with all southbound lanes in this section of the Beltway reopened in their new alignment by 10 a.m. Saturday morning, July 19. Saturday and Sunday nights will serve as backup dates in case of inclement weather or other work delays.

Shifting southbound I-495 traffic onto these newly constructed outside lanes will enable crews to access the center portion of the Beltway to construct the new 495 Express Lanes.

What drivers can expect for the second southbound I-495 traffic shift on July 18:

• Traffic on all four general-purpose lanes of southbound I-495 from just south of Georgetown Pike to midway between Old Dominion Drive and Lewinsville Road (just north of the Dulles Corridor Interchange) will be shifted onto new lanes built on the outer side of the Beltway.

• Implementation of this traffic shift will entail a single mobile lane closure beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday night, a second lane closing at 9 p.m., and three total lanes being closed by 10 p.m. on southbound I-495 between approximately George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) and Lewinsville Road.

• One southbound lane on I-495 will remain open to traffic, except when intermittent total traffic stoppages and/or slow-roll traffic operations occur between midnight and 5 a.m. Police will be on hand to assist with directing motorists.

• Lanes will begin to reopen at 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, with all four southbound lanes in the affected area in their new alignment by 10 a.m.

• Additionally, the ramp from northbound GWMP to southbound I-495, the ramp from Georgetown Pike to southbound I-495, and the ramp from southbound I-495 to Georgetown Pike (Exit 44) will be closed and detoured from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday.

• Motorists traveling on northbound GWMP to southbound I-495 will be detoured to take the exit from GWMP to Georgetown Pike, then follow the detour for traffic from Georgetown Pike to southbound I-495 (listed below).

• Motorists traveling on Georgetown Pike to southbound I-495 will be detoured to exit Georgetown Pike to southbound Balls Hill Road, then left onto Lewinsville Road, then right onto southbound Route 123/Dolley Madison Boulevard, then right to access the on-ramp for southbound I-495.

• Motorists traveling on southbound I-495 to Georgetown Pike (Exit 44) will be detoured to continue southbound on I-495 to northbound Route 123 Exit 46B, then to northbound I-495 general purpose lanes to Georgetown Pike.

• If rescheduled for Saturday night, lane closures will begin at 8 p.m., with all lanes reopened in their new alignment by 11 a.m., Sunday.

• If rescheduled for Sunday night, lane closures will begin at 8 p.m., with all lanes reopened in their new alignment by no later than 6 a.m., Monday.

Once this second traffic shift is completed on southbound I-495, crews will work in the center area of the Beltway to construct the new I-495 Express Lanes. Construction activities 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 retired center lane pavement
• Installing new stormwater drainage
• Installing new tolling and traffic management system infrastructure
• Building the foundation, paving and striping the new express lanes

The first southbound I-495 traffic shift occurred in late June and moved motorists onto new lanes between George Washington Memorial Parkway and Georgetown Pike. Northbound I-495 lanes within the 495 NEXT project area were shifted to the new outer section of the Beltway in early May.

Motorists are urged to slow down, eliminate distractions and drive with heightened caution as they acclimate to the newly aligned Beltway lanes, and as work ramps up in the center area of the roadway. 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 new 495 Express Lanes remain on track to open late this year, extending the existing 14-mile 495 Express Lanes from near the Dulles Corridor Interchange to the GWMP in proximity of the American Legion Bridge. New ramps will provide express lanes access at Dulles Toll Road and GWMP.

The remainder of the project, including completion of a new bike and pedestrian trail and a new parking area for Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, is scheduled to be completed in mid-2026.

All work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled if necessary. 

Check VA 511 for traffic, work zone and incident information online at 511.vdot.virginia.gov, on the mobile app, or by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.

Visit 495next.vdot.virginia.gov for the latest construction and lane closure information.

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