About 495 NEXT

Project overview

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in partnership with Transurban, is delivering the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project as a public-private partnership valued at approximately $660 million. The project will extend the 495 Express Lanes by 2.5 miles from the Dulles Corridor interchange to the George Washington Memorial Parkway near the American Legion Bridge. 

495 NEXT construction began in March 2022. The extended Express Lanes are expected to open in late 2025, with full project completion anticipated in mid-2026. The partnership agreement between VDOT and Transurban extends through 2087. 

Project goals and objectives

495 NEXT is designed to support more efficient travel. The project aims to move more people, not just vehicles, by improving efficiency through dynamically priced tolling, supporting carpooling and transit, and reducing pressure on general-purpose lanes. These improvements are expected to benefit all users of the I-495 corridor by improving reliability, safety, and connectivity across the Potomac River.

The 495 NEXT project is designed to address the following regional transportation needs:

Reduce congestion and improve roadway safety

As population and employment continue to grow in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, so does travel demand along I-495. The project adds new capacity by extending the 495 Express Lanes 2.5 miles with two lanes in each direction to reduce congestion and improve safety on one of the region’s most heavily traveled corridors.

Provide additional travel choices

By extending the Express Lanes north of Old Dominion Drive, the project gives drivers more options. Single-occupant vehicles may choose to pay a toll for a faster, more reliable trip, while High-Occupancy Vehicles (HOV-3+) and motorcycles travel toll-free. Express Lanes also support bus transit, which also travels toll-free, creating faster and more reliable options for public transportation users. 

Improve travel reliability

The dynamically tolled Express Lanes help maintain free-flowing conditions, even during peak periods. The Express Lanes dynamic pricing system bases toll prices on the number of cars on the road to manage free-flowing travel. This system offers more consistent and predictable travel times for commuters, freight carriers, and transit services. 

Enhance regional transit and multimodal connectivity

495 NEXT includes a range of transit and multimodal features: 

• Establishes a new commuter bus service across the American Legion Bridge connecting Tysons and Bethesda.
  • Fairfax Connector Express Route 798 bus service launched in September 2024. 
• Incorporates shared-use paths for bicyclists and pedestrians behind noise walls between Lewinsville Road and Live Oak Drive. 
• Allows for new commuter parking, transit access points, and connections to existing multimodal networks. 

Upgrade bridges and add access points 

• Replaces and upgrades four bridges with improved designs and widened sidewalks. 
• Modifies and widens three existing bridges to improve safety and traffic flow. 
• Adds four new access points to the Express Lanes: northbound and southbound ramps at George Washington Memorial Parkway and eastbound and westbound ramps at Dulles Toll Road. 

Environmental protections and resiliency 

• Includes major investments in stream restoration and upgraded stormwater management systems. 
• Designed with a goal of achieving an Envision sustainability rating, which recognizes infrastructure that meets high standards for environmental, social, and economic impact. 

Support more efficient travel

495 NEXT is designed to move more people, not just vehicles, by improving efficiency through dynamically priced tolling, supporting carpooling and transit, and reducing pressure on general-purpose lanes. These improvements are expected to benefit all users of the I-495 corridor by improving reliability, safety, and connectivity across the Potomac River. 

VDOT, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), developed the goals and objectives for the 495 NEXT project through a comprehensive process. This included a review of prior studies and regional plans, analysis of traffic, environmental, and socioeconomic conditions, and public and agency input gathered through the NEPA scoping process. 

Project schedule

Construction kicked off on VDOT's 495 NEXT project in March 2022, along with final project design. The extended 495 Express Lanes are expected to open in late 2025, with the project completed in 2026. 

Project background

495 NEXT is an independent, stand-alone project that is being closely coordinated with Maryland’s plans to improve I-495 (Capital Beltway), ensuring compatibility and regional connectivity across the American Legion Bridge. The 495 NEXT project also closely coordinates with the National Park Service and its North Parkway Rehabilitation Project along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, adjacent to the 495 NEXT corridor.  

In 2018, VDOT initiated an Environmental Assessment (EA) for 495 NEXT, which was completed according to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and 23 CFR Part 771. The NEPA study evaluated site-specific conditions and potential effects the proposed improvements may have on air quality, noise, neighborhoods, parks, recreation areas, historic properties, wetlands and streams, and other resources. The project’s EA received a “Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI)” from FHWA and NPS in June 2021. These findings enabled the project to advance into the design and construction phase.  

FHWA approved the project’s interchange justification report, a traffic study that includes analysis of traffic impacts and benefits associated with the 495 NEXT project.   

Additionally, a high-level joint transit needs study was conducted by Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). This transit study was conducted independent of the ongoing environmental studies in Virginia and Maryland at the time. 

The aforementioned documents can be found on the 495 NEXT website under “Project resources” here: Documents and studies.