I-495 North Traffic Impacts During Big Beam Weekend Jan. 24-27, 2025

About the Big Beam Weekend:

Lane reductions and traffic impacts on northbound I-495 (Capital Beltway Inner Loop) near Tysons in Virginia were in effect from Friday, Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27 for the 495 NEXT project's Big Beam Weekend. Multiple ramps at the I-495 and Dulles Corridor interchange were also closed and detoured all weekend.  

Five lines of steel girders (made up of 10 beams) spanning 295 feet in length were lifted over northbound I-495 to support a new express lanes ramp as part of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project. Each girder is 11-feet tall by 3-feet wide, and weighs between 70 to 80 tons.  

During the Big Beam Weekend, beams were hoisted by cranes and secured into place. This critical work could not be done overtop traffic and required lane closures to be in place. Typically, this type of planned construction occurs during nighttime hours or non-peak travel times to limit impacts to the traveling public. However, due to the magnitude of the Big Beam operation – the largest girders to be installed on the 495 NEXT project – an extended work period was necessary for everyone’s safety. 

Watch the massive bridge girders being lifted into place over northbound I-495 in this time-lapse video:

Details for Drivers:

• Northbound 495 Express Lanes traffic needed to exit the lanes at the Route 7/Leesburg Pike express lanes exit (near mile marker 47.4), with the option to merge back onto northbound I-495 into the general-purpose lanes. 

• All northbound I-495 traffic was reduced to two lanes and diverted to the northbound 495 Express Lanes north of Route 123 (near mile marker 45.7). 

• As part of this diversion, no vehicle was charged a toll and trucks were allowed to travel on this section of northbound 495 Express Lanes – the lanes operated as general purpose lanes. 

• All lanes reopened (four general purpose lanes) at Lewinsville Road, north of the Dulles Toll Road/Route 267 (near mile marker 44.6). 

• Additionally, the ramp from eastbound Dulles Toll Road/Dulles Airport Access Highway to northbound I-495, as well as westbound Dulles Toll Road under I-495, was closed and detoured. The Dulles Airport Access Highway remained open throughout the Big Beam Weekend. 

• All southbound I-495 lanes (four general purpose and two express lanes) remained open. Southbound 495 Express Lanes operated as normal with tolling in effect. 

I-495 Lane Closures and Traffic Impacts

I-495/Dulles Corridor Interchange Closures and Detours