November- Governor Glenn Youngkin Celebrates Opening of 495 Express Lanes Extension in Northern Virginia

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin yesterday celebrated the opening of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension, referred to as 495 NEXT, at a ceremonial ribbon chopping in Tysons. The new Express Lanes extension will open forward of schedule on Sunday, November 23, forward of the upcoming Thanksgiving vacation journey interval. 

“Yesterday, we celebrated more travel options and more travel reliability on one of our nation’s busiest corridors,” mentioned Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This expansion is a testament to the success of public-private partnerships that boost quality of life and support a growing economy. Once again, Virginia is leading the way by delivering much-needed transportation improvements today—not years or decades from now—that improve mobility for Virginians and all travelers in the National Capital Region.” 

Governor Youngkin was joined by the Commonwealth’s non-public accomplice, Transurban, and the design-build contractor led by Lane Construction. He was additionally joined by Federal Highway Administration Associate Administrator Tony Frye, Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III, Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen C. Brich, and different federal, state, and native officers.  

“On behalf of the Trump Administration, Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. Department of Transportation, we’re proud to join our partners in Virginia to celebrate the opening of new 495 Express Lanes,” mentioned FHWA Associate Administrator for Highway Policy and External Affairs Tony Frye. “The Trump Administration is getting America building again with projects like this one that enhances safety while connecting our country and our people.”  

“495 NEXT will provide new options to travelers in this highly congested and busy area,” mentioned Virginia Secretary of Transportation W. Sheppard Miller III. “The opening of this important project—which includes improved access to vital business and residential corridors in Northern Virginia—expands the benefits of the Express Lanes network to more people in the region while bringing new infrastructure and multimodal improvements to the local community.” 

The 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension contains two new dynamically tolled Express Lanes in every course on I-495 (the Capital Beltway) between the Dulles Corridor interchange and the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange earlier than the American Legion Bridge into Maryland. The new two-and-a-half-mile extension connects with the present 14-mile 495 Express Lanes, which has seamless connectivity with Northern Virginia’s different Express Lanes services on I-66, I-95 and I-395. 

The new extension will present sooner and extra dependable journey selections, decreasing journey occasions for each Express Lanes and general-purpose lane customers by as much as 50%, together with HOV 3+ and bus riders, who can journey the Express Lanes toll-free. The hall will even profit from improved roadway security by decreasing crashes and cut-through site visitors in residential communities. 

“I want to thank and acknowledge the continued innovative public-private partnership and collaboration that made the 495 Express Lanes extension possible,” mentioned VDOT Commissioner Stephen C. Brich. “Together, we’ve successfully delivered yet another critical Express Lanes facility, all of which continue to be game changers for improving travel and moving more people through our busy corridors in Northern Virginia. This newest enhancement benefits the entire region, while also providing features that specifically serve the local community including new bridges, noise walls and a paved trail for bicyclists and pedestrians that will open in 2026.” 

“What we have accomplished through the power of partnership in Virginia is demonstrated with this latest extension of Transurban’s Express Lanes. Now spanning 58 miles from McLean to Fredericksburg to the Pentagon, the 95, 395, and 495 Express Lanes represent the longest managed lanes corridor in the United States,” mentioned Beau Memory, President, Transurban North America. “I am so proud of the teams that collaborated to bring such a complex and innovative project to bear, and I look forward to continuing our partnerships in the Commonwealth for decades to come.” 

The 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension mission contains further options comparable to: 

• New bridges throughout the Beltway at Live Oak Drive, Old Dominion Drive and Georgetown Pike.
• Rehabilitation of 4 different bridges together with the Lewinsville Road Bridge and bridges and ramps on the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange.
• New, upgraded noise partitions to guard close by neighborhoods.
• New stormwater administration programs and environmental commitments to stabilize stream banks alongside Scotts Run to mitigate erosion.
• Four miles of recent bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, together with sidewalks on bridges and a shared-use path parallel to I-495. These enhancements will present new connections for cyclists and pedestrians to Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and Fairfax County Park Authority’s path system.
• Construction of a brand new Scott’s Run Nature Preserve car parking zone that may join the Preserve to the brand new shared-use path.
• Interstate categorical bus service connecting Tysons, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland, by means of the American Legion Bridge.
  • The Fairfax Connector Route 798 Express Bus Service, which travels the 495 Express Lanes toll-free, launched in September 2024. The new transit service was made potential by an early dedication of $5.2 million by the Commonwealth to buy the buses and $2 million from the 495 NEXT mission to start operations throughout building. Annual transit funds from Transurban, beginning at $2.2 million, will fund continued operations of this vital transit service.

Some of those mission components stay in progress, together with the brand new Beltway bridges at Georgetown Pike and the shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians. Construction efforts on these and different last mission particulars will proceed within the coming months, with lane closures taking place throughout non-peak journey occasions. 

The roughly $660 million 495 NEXT mission is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Transurban, non-public accomplice and operator of the present 95, 395, and 495 Express Lanes. Lane Construction is the lead design-build contractor, with Shirley Contracting Company constructing enhancements and Express Lanes entry on the I-495 and Dulles Corridor interchange. Construction on this crucial enchancment mission started in March 2022. Final mission completion is anticipated to happen by mid-2026.