FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The ongoing project to expand the express lanes on the Beltway in Virginia has some Fairfax County residents upset and looking for answers. The I-495 Express Lanes Northern Expansion, or the NEXT project as its known, is on track and expected to be open to traffic by next year.
Construction began on the project in 2022 in an effort 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.
According to Gov. Glenn 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."
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) held a virtual meeting earlier this week about the project and its impacts. Those who live in the area have an opportunity to ask questions in person on Thursday.
"A lot of the questions and concerns that we've gotten thus far really focused on construction activities," said Michelle T. Holland, a spokesperson for VDOT. "There are other questions that we get regularly, mainly from people surrounding the project corridor, just wanting to know what's happening, being familiar with the work areas, especially if it's near their homes."
The in-person meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Langley High School cafeteria in McLean.
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