New Lewinsville Road Bridge Set to Open Monday

The new longer, wider Lewinsville Road Bridge in McLean will open for traffic on Monday morning. The old bridge, which was replaced as part of the ongoing HOT lanes project, is slated for demolition later this fall.

Community members, project partners and elected officials turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning. The new bridge is longer than the old bridge because it will span both the northbound and southbound lanes of the Capital Beltway, as well as the High Occupancy Travel lane, which is still under construction. The new bridge was built wider than its predecessor to accommodate foot and bike traffic.

The HOT Lanes project, which will add four extra travel lanes through the center of a section of Interstate 495 in Virginia to alleviate peak traffic congestion, is projected to cost nearly $1.9 billion.* The state of Virginia contributed about 20 percent of funding for the project. Two private contractors, Transurban and Fluor, picked up the rest of the tab through a combination of private equity and loans.

It's the state Department of Transportation's most recent attempt to come up with a way to ease the ache of rush hour traffic. Motorists will have to pay a variable fee to use the HOT lane. The fee will increase and decrease depending on traffic and the time of day, peaking during the heaviest travel times.

In a phone interview with Patch, Steve Titunik, the communications director for Virginia Megaprojects, said the HOT lanes construction is expected to be complete in December 2012.

"Like farming, you need good weather, not too much rain, not too much snow. ... Right now, we’re on schedule," Titunik said.

The project also includes the construction of more than 58 overpasses and bridges, said Jamie Breme, a Virginia Megaprojects spokeswoman.

Titunik said $260 million of the project cost has been allocated to build these new bridges and overpasses, like the new Lewinsville Road Bridge.

Commuter Chris Steuble, who took several photos that accompany this article, logs 100 miles a day on the Beltway. and why he's cautiously optimistic that the HOT lanes project could help.

Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that four new lanes will be added to accommodate the HOT lanes - not one new travel center, as we originally reported.