The major corridor many of us have to traverse, yet try to avoid at all costs, is making its way through a major facelift. Will it be enough to make us want to ride it again? It will include future rails, and is definitely going to include express lanes. Let’s take a look at the transformation.

By Lynn Norusis

Inside the Beltway

If you’ve been in Northern Virginia for a while it may seem like I-66 Inside the Beltway has been under construction for a while. As part of the Transform 66 Project, it has been under construction since June 2018 and it is close to being wrapped up in Spring this year. The $85.7 million I-66 Eastbound Widening Inside the Beltway Design-Build project that was funded through a combination of federal and state sources, consists of three components.

I-66 Eastbound Widening Project: adding a through lane along approximately four miles of eastbound I-66 between the Dulles Connector Road (Route 267) and Fairfax Drive (Exit 71). It will also replace approximately 4,300 feet of dilapidated noise walls and add up to 9,400 feet of new noise walls. The project includes ramp modifications at Exits 69 and 71 and bridge widening, rehabilitations and/or repairs. On Dec. 11, 2020, the new traffic lane was opened to traffic.

I-66 Eastbound Direct Access to Metro Project: providing direct access to the West Falls Church Metro from the Route 7 exit off of eastbound I-66 (Exit 66). All construction is happening within the existing VDOT right of way, and improvements are expected to save drivers time and reduce traffic on Rt. 7 at the two intersections of Haycock Road and Falls Church Drive. This project started in April 2020 and is expected to finish in Spring 2021.

W&OD Trail Bridge Project: constructing a new crossing of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail at Lee Highway (Route 29) in Arlington near Falls Church, separating trail users from motorists at the signalized intersection of Lee Highway and Fairfax Drive. Approximately 1,500 trail users on weekdays and over 2,000 on weekends use this portion of the W&OD. As the project progresses there will be detours put in place. The bridge construction is expected to be finished in February 2021 and the improvements below the bridge on the adjacent ground trail are expected to be finished in March 2021. 

Outside the Beltway

The project is a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), and private partner, I-66 Express Mobility Partners, delivering $3.7 billion of transportation improvements in the I-66 corridor. The Express Lanes are scheduled to open in December 2022.

Overall, improvements include:

• 22.5 miles of new Express Lanes alongside three regular lanes on I-66 from I-495 to University Boulevard in Gainesville
• New bus service and transit routes 
• New and expanded park and ride lots providing access to the Express Lanes and more than 4,000 new park and ride spaces
• Interchange improvements to enhance safety and reduce congestion, including auxiliary lanes between interchanges, where needed
• 11 miles of new bike and pedestrian trails, including shared-use trails along I-66 that integrate with local trails, and new crossings of I-66 to improve and expand bicycle and pedestrian routes

So let’s stroll through the corridor. 

Gallows Road
This rebuilt section will have improved bike and pedestrian facilities on the I-66 bridge and access to a new 10-foot-wide shared path being built along I-66. There will also be room left for future widening of Gallows Road north towards Tysons. The northbound bridge is expected to be completed in early 2021; at the same time the old bridge on southbound Gallows Road will be demolished and a new one constructed. Complete traffic shifting will take place in early 2022.

Cedar Lane
The bridge over I-66 is being rebuilt due to the widening of the highway. The bridge recently reopened.

Nutley Street Interchange

This interchange is being redesigned for safety and to better manage traffic flow as there are new shared-use paths being implemented in the project. Express Lanes are expected to be open Dec. 2022.

Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro Station
There will be a new Express Lanes access ramp and improved bike and pedestrian connections. The new Vaden Drive Bridge opened in November 2020, and the shared-use path was wrapped on Dec. 11, 2020.

Rt. 123 Interchange

This massive portion of the project will add new express lanes that call for new bridge spans and future connection for the I-66 trail (George Snyder Trail) with Fairfax City. Northbound traffic shifted to the new bridge on Dec. 30, 2020, with the southbound lanes expected to shift very soon. Demolition of the old bridge began early this year, with the majority of the work happening overnight. Demolition of the old Rt. 123 South bridge will begin late January and will take approximately 8 to 12 weeks, weather permitting.

Rt. 50 Interchange
Express lane access and new bridges over I-66 are part of this construction. A noise wall will be added, as will a shared-use path through the interchange that will connect Random Hills Park and Fairfax Corner with Fairfax Farms Road. Various traffic shifts will happen through 2022. The new bridges and demolition of the old ones will take place this year.

Monument Drive and Stringfellow Road
Both of these exits will have construction focused on ramp modification to allow full-time access to the express lanes.

Rt. 28 Interchange
Major construction is happening at this major thoroughfare. You can read more in-depth development news of the entire Rt. 28 project here. But the I-66 and Rt. 28 section will focus on adding express lane access along with the new interchange ramps.

Rt. 29 Interchange (Centreville)

The current interchange is being demolished this winter to accommodate for new express lanes, future mass transit and widening of Rt. 29. The Rt. 29 N to I-66 East ramp will close from January through May, and there will be continued traffic shifts until the project is expected to be completed in December 2022.

University Blvd. Park and Ride (Gainesville)
A new park and ride lot being built will offer 2,000 more spaces with direct access to the express lanes. The first portion of the lot opened in Oct. 2019. The project is expected to finish in December 2022 when the express lanes open.

For more information on development happening around Northern Virginia, check out our development updates page. We focus on a different area in Northern Virginia each month.

If you have any questions about Northern Virginia real estate, reach out as we are happy to help.