FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Construction officially kicked off Monday on the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, as Virginia leaders work to "uncork" traffic bottlenecks in Northern Virginia. The expansion focuses on a 2.5-mile stretch of Interstate 495 between the Dulles Corridor and the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Fairfax County.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller for a groundbreaking ceremony in Tysons Corner Monday morning.
"I've lived in Fairfax County since 1998, and I can tell you, I have watched the traffic situation around here grow steadily worse," Youngkin said. "And so this is just a really important step to get it uncorked. This addresses congestion, it improves safety, and this is how we get our economy moving."
According to Youngkin's office, the NEXT project includes more than just road construction and will focus jointly on additional transit options, such as buses, and minimizing cut-through traffic in residential neighborhoods. Youngkin said a priority is removing "individual, single-use vehicles off the road."
"This extension to our express lanes system will provide needed relief for a highly congested portion of the Capital Beltway, providing major benefits to the greater region," Miller said. "This regional approach is crucial to solving our transportation challenges, and through close coordination with our partners in Maryland, Virginia’s 495 NEXT project will be built to connect and complement future improvements in the Capital Region.”
When asked about Maryland's progress on their part of the expansion project, Youngkin expressed strong confidence in Gov. Larry Hogan's ability to get the project going.
"We'll get there this year," Youngkin said to reporters. "It's just really important that we do this in tandem, and I look forward to connecting in the entire beltway."