Beginning this weekend, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will install five lines of massive steel girders across northbound Interstate 495. The work is part of a project that will deliver a new express lanes ramp connecting the Dulles Toll Road to I-495.
“This area continues to be one of the most congested areas in the region,” said Michelle Holland, the megaprojects communications manager at the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). “It’s a choke point for traffic, so in order to relieve that choke point, and provide additional added benefits for travelers and surrounding communities, VDOT, with our partners, are extending the express lanes.”
The major bridge girder operation is scheduled to begin tonight and go through Monday morning. Only two lanes on northbound I-495 will be open and shifted to the express lanes.
The lane reductions and shifts will be in place for about three miles from the State Route 7 interchange until just past Lewinsville Road.
The ramps from eastbound Dulles Toll Road / Dulles Airport Access Highway to northbound I-495 and westbound Dulles Toll Road under I-495 will also be closed and detoured.
These precautions are necessary, since the weight of the beams are measured in tons, according to VDOT officials.
“We cannot lift beams over live traffic,” Holland said. “We have to close down lanes, which is why we have to limit this work to overnight periods when traffic is lightest.”
The transportation agency is now asking travelers to avoid the area for the weekend, so crews can work as quickly, and safely, as possible.
Source: VDOT, WUSA 9
