“Major Traffic Shift” on I-495 near the Dulles Toll Road this Weekend

As many commuters have noted, there are sign boards along the Inner Loop of I-495/Capital Beltway passing through Tysons indicating a “Major Traffic Shift” happening overnight on Friday. This is all part of the ongoing 495 Next Project, which is the 495 Express Lanes Extension that is expected to open in late 2025, with the project completed in 2026.

With this project, there has been a major overhaul at the interchange of I-495/Capital Beltway and Route 267/Dulles Toll Road. Commuters have gone through lane reductions, ramp relocations and movement to and from the Dulles Toll Road ever-changing. This most notably with overnight closures and detours as part of this ongoing expansion effort.

This weekend is set to see even more change to this construction and travel patterns and our friends at VDOT, the Virginia Department of Transportation, give us the low down on what to expect.

On Friday, June 7, the 495 Next Project crew will implement overnight lane closures on northbound I-495/ Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway near Route 123 (exit 46) in order to shift traffic onto a new bridge over the eastbound Dulles Toll Road/Access Road (Route 267) ramp.

This shift involves closing two northbound travel lanes of I-495 between Route 123/Chain Bridge Road to just south of Lewisville Road between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Traffic will merge to the leftmost lanes just before Route 267/Dulles Toll Road (exit 45), then merged again to the single, rightmost lane to shift onto the new bridge.

Motorists can expect police on hand to assist with the slow roll traffic operation needed for this shift onto the new bridge. During this operation, crews are expected to slow and control traffic to clear a section of the roadway, which allows them to access the entire roadway for a short duration.

Following this traffic shift, crews will begin the demolition of the old bridge, which requires the ramp from eastbound Dulles Toll Road/Airport Access Road (Route 267) to northbound I-495 to close during the overnight hours beginning on or about Monday, June 10, through Sunday, June 16.

There will be detours posted for those drivers on the eastbound Dulles Toll Road/Airport Access Road to reach northbound I-495, using the I-495 South and Route 123/Chain Bridge Road.

Animated imagery/Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportation / 495 Next

Drivers are urged to use caution traveling through this ongoing construction project. There are always speed reduction signs in place. There will be the potential for delays traveling through this area. Be sure to tune in to WTOP for traffic updates every 10 minutes on the 8’s!