I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT)

The I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Transurban that involves extending the 495 Express Lanes north by two-and-a-half miles from the Dulles Corridor to the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchanges near the American Legion Bridge.  This important initiative improves a vital corridor in Northern Virginia and the larger region by:

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  • Providing congestion relief

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  • Adding travel choices

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  • Improving travel reliability

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  • Enhancing safety

495 NEXT provides new and improved express lanes connections at the Dulles Corridor and George Washington Memorial Parkway interchanges. Other 495 NEXT project benefits include:

• A shared-use path parallel to I-495 from Lewinsville Road to near Live Oak Drive
• Replacement or rehabilitation of seven bridges with pedestrian accommodations
• Dedicated funding to support transit improvements in the corridor including new bus service over the American Legion Bridge

• Replacement of nine existing noise walls and construction of a new noise wall along Live Oak Drive in the vicinity of the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchange
• Environmental improvements introducing stormwater management facilities and funding restoration of the stream at Scotts Run

New 495 Express Lanes extension now open

The 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (the Extension) is now open. The Extension opened Sunday morning, November 23, 2025 – ahead of the design-build contract schedule and the upcoming holiday travel period.

The two-and-a-half-mile extension of new 495 Express Lanes spanning from near the Dulles Corridor Interchange to just before the American Legion Bridge and new connecting ramps are fully open and operational. Drivers should use caution and expect new travel patterns, as traffic becomes acclimated with the new lanes and ramps.

The Extension includes two new express lanes in each direction of I-495 (the Capital Beltway) that connect with the existing 14-mile 495 Express Lanes near the Dulles Corridor Interchange and extend north to the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) before the American Legion Bridge into Maryland. New dedicated express lanes ramps are open from east- and westbound Dulles Toll Road to the northbound express lanes, as well as from the northbound express lanes to the GWMP and from the GWMP to the southbound express lanes.

The opening of the Extension brings the most significant change to the Beltway in Virginia since the opening of the original 495 Express Lanes in November 2012. This expansion provides more capacity, new connections with major commuter and business routes, and new travel options for people who face daily gridlock and congestion in this section of the Beltway.

Visit ExpressLanes.com/495Extension for more details about the using the new 495 Express Lanes. 

Click here for a factsheet about navigating the 495 Express Lanes Extension. 

Explore the 495 NEXT interactive map

The 495 NEXT Interactive Map provides information about the project’s design and what is being constructed. Design elements and features are color coded according to the map legend. 495 NEXT is a design-build project, and details shown on this interactive map are subject to change and may be updated as the project's design is finalized.

Explore the most recent project plans with the interactive map. (Updated November 2023). View enlarged map