Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials said Feb. 2 that current or soon-to-begin activities for its I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project will involve surveys, geotechnical test borings, tree inventories and identification of utility locations.
Test borings continue to be drilled along the 2.5-mile project corridor, both alongside I-495 as well as on VDOT right-of-way behind residences on streets listed below. Depending upon weather and other factors, officials expect the boring work to be completed this spring.
To provide access for boring rigs from the Capital Beltway (as opposed to entering from residential streets), VDOT recently removed three noise-wall panels and closed off the resulting gaps are closed off with caution tape and permanent barrier fence behind the walls to prevent public access. VDOT will replace the panels by early March after the borings are complete.
Drilling is currently or soon will be active on VDOT right-of-way near these neighborhood streets:
• East of the Beltway between Georgetown Pike and the George Washington Memorial Parkway: Balls Hill Road, Lupine Lane, Arbor Lane, Lawton Street, River Oaks Drive and Butternut Court.
• East of the Beltway between Georgetown Pike and Old Dominion Drive: Old Dominion Drive, Balls Hill Road, Churchill Road and Delf Drive.
• East of the Beltway between Old Dominion Drive and the Dulles Toll Road: Dulany Drive and Scotts Run Drive.
• East of the Beltway and west of the Dulles Toll Road: Spring Gate Road.
• West of the Beltway between Old Dominion Drive and the Dulles Toll Road: Dominion Court.
Boring crews will try to preserve existing trees, but in some locations a limited number may need to be cleared to perform work safely (tree clearing is determined in the field as work progresses). Boring involves drilling down about 30 to 75 feet to take samples of soil conditions that will guide the project’s design and construction. Boring rigs may produce moderate noise while in operation.
Survey crews continue to inventory existing trees within the project limits. Inventory work involves installing small, pink-ribboned stakes, wrapping larger trees with striped tape and taking measurements. The markings do not represent whether a tree will be kept or removed.
The 495 NEXT project will extend the existing 495 Express Lanes north by two-and-a-half miles from the Dulles Toll Road interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange in the vicinity of the American Legion Bridge. The project will provide new and improved connections at the Dulles Toll Road and George Washington Memorial Parkway and provide dedicated funding for transit improvements in the corridor, including new bus service over the American Legion Bridge and 4 miles of new bicycle and pedestrian connections.
The project also will rehabilitate seven bridges with pedestrian accommodations; replace nine existing noise walls; construct a new noise wall along Live Oak Drive near the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange; introduce stormwater management facilities; and finance restoration of the stream at Scotts Run.
495 NEXT is a public-private-partnership project between the commonwealth of Virginia and Transurban, operator of the existing 495 Express Lanes. Lane Construction is the design-build contractor for the project. Officials expect financial closure to occur early this year and construction to start later in 2022.
VDOT expects the new extended lanes will open in 2025.