Free Ride on the 495 Express Lanes This Weekend

If you haven't tried out the Beltway Express Lanes yet, you can try them out free this Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7.

Express Lanes, Dulles Lane Closures This Week

Check out this construction info before hitting the road this week.

Weather permitting, road crews will be closing lanes on the Dulles Toll Road for electric work, a pedestrian bridge and other major construction. Here is the latest road closure information from Virginia Megaprojects. More information is always available at www.vamegaprojects.com. Click here for a map-based version of this road closure information. You can always to go to mclean.patch.com/commute to see current traffic congestion on an interactive map and look for the least expensive gas in our area.  According to Virginia Megaprojects:  Closures from Sunday through Thursday nights are between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday night road closure work is scheduled between 9:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. EXPRESS LANES WORK (Nights)

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I-495 Beltway Express Lanes to Open as Early as Nov. 17

High occupancy toll lanes were originally scheduled to open in December.

Local commuters could be getting to work faster even sooner than originally thought. The I-495 Express Lanes could open as early as Nov. 17, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Wednesday. The high occupancy toll lanes were originally scheduled to open in December. The 14-mile stretch of highway-within-a-highway allows commuters to pay a toll (or carpool and avoid the toll) to use express lanes between the Springfield interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road. Commuters will need an E-ZPass to pay tolls, or they will need an E-ZPass Flex to use while carpooling with at least three people in their vehicle. “Dynamic pricing based on real-time traffic conditions manages the demand for the lanes, keeping the Express …

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Commutes Could Get Longer for HOV Drivers on I-66

A ramp connecting I-66 to I-495 will close on Friday, Oct. 12.

Depending on the way you get to work, your morning commute may be getting a little bit longer starting in a few weeks. The HOV ramp connecting the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 to the Capital Beltway will close following morning rush hour on Friday, Oct. 12 and re-open later this year as an Express Lanes ramp. A spokesman for Virginia Megaprojects explained in a press statement, "HOV-drivers affected by this new traffic pattern are urged to follow highway message signs that will be in place along I-66, approaching I-495.  Drivers should expect additional delays in this area for several weeks, and should allow extra time in their commutes." For details about the Express Lanes, how they work and when they are planned to open for drivers, …

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Virginia Beltway Express Lanes Testing: So Far, So Good

Cars are driving on the I-495 Express Lanes this week to test the toll and traffic-management technology.

Testing of the I-495 Express Lanes’ tolling and traffic management technology began this week, and officials say it’s going off without a hitch so far. “Everything has been going as expected,” said Transurban-Fluor Marketing Director Pierce Coffee. “It’s running really smoothly.” This week, Beltway commuters might have noticed cars traveling in the Express Lanes, which are expected to open in December 2012. Transurban and VDOT officials want everyday drivers to know that they shouldn’t follow these cars into the faster lanes – they’re only making test-drives. Coffee said these tests, which will have cars traveling at highway speeds from around the Gallows Road Interchange to Route 123 in Tysons Corner, will ensure that the lanes’ many …

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Traffic Tangles This Week

Overnight Beltway, Dulles Access Road Closings

McLean/Tysons Corner traffic alert

  Here are the major road closings in the McLean/Tysons Corner area brought to you by the simultaneous construction of the new Metro Silver Line and the Express lanes. The information below is taken from public notices published weekly by the Dulles Metrorail Project and Virginia Megaprojects.  

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Traffic Tangles This Week

Traffic Alert This Week: Lewinsville Bridge Closed Overnight

Overnight closings for Tysons Corner and McLean.

  Here are this week's major traffic tangles in and around McLean and Tysons Corne. This information is published from public e-mail alerts issued by Dulles Metro Rail and Virginia Megaprojects.

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Traffic Tangles This Week

Overnight Closings Up to 30 Minutes I-495,Dulles Connector Road, Total Overnight Closing: Jones Branch Road

Traffic alerts in McLean, Tysons Corner from July 16-20.

    This week's traffic travails throughout McLean and Tysons Corner brought to you by the simultaneous construction of the  Express Lanes and the Metro line to Dulles. I-495 south from Exit 44, Georgetown Pike (Route 193) to Oak St. overpass - Three lanes closed Monday - Saturday nights for overhead sign and paving work. Expect intermittent full road closures of up to 30 minutes after midnight. Dulles Connector Rd. (Route 267) west from I-495 to the Toll Plaza - Three left lanes closed Monday - Saturday nights for sign work. Expect intermittent full road closures of up to 30 minutes after midnight. Jones Branch Dr. north and south from Westpark Dr. to Westbranch Dr. - Road closed Monday - Saturday nights for sign work. Traffic will be …

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Traffic Tangles This Week

Major Overnight Closings: I-66, Dulles Connector, Jones Branch Road

Traffic alerts in McLean from July 9 through 15

This week's traffic travails throughout McLean and Tysons Corner brought to you by the simultaneous construction of the  Express Lanes and the Metro line to Dulles. Full Closure of Westbound Interstate 66 Overnights   Dulles Corridor Metrorail construction will implement a full closure of westbound I-66, between Route 267 and Route 7, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday. These closures are necessary to install acoustical barriers on the new Metrorail aerial guideway (flyover bridge) that crosses the highway. Traffic is not allowed to flow under active construction for public safety reasons. I-495 south from Exit 44, Georgetown Pike (Route 193) to Oak St. overpass - Three lanes closed Monday - Saturday nights for overhead sign and …

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Traffic Tangles This Week

Lewinsville Road Bridge Closed Tonight

Work related to Express Lanes construction

  Lewinsville Road in McLean over I-495 will close tonight starting at 9:30 p.m.and reopen at 5 a.m. Friday. Southbound traffic on Lewinsville Road will be directed to make a left onto Swinks Mill Road, a right onto Old Dominion Drive, a right onto Balls Hill Road and a left back onto Lewinsville Road. Northbound traffic on Lewinsville Road will be directed to make a right onto Balls Hill Road, a left onto Old Dominion Drive, a left onto Swinks Mill Road and a right back onto Lewinsville Road.  This work is part of the 495 Express Lanes Project. The project is on schedule to be completed in late 2012.

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