The Virginia Department of Transportation will provide updates on the construction work that it has been doing on Interstate 66 at two virtual community meetings as October draws to a close.

The first meeting will take place tonight (Wednesday) from 7-8:30 p.m. and will focus on activities between Bull Run and Waples Mill Road, including the Route 28 corridor. A second meeting scheduled for the same time tomorrow (Thursday) will cover activities between Jermantown Road in Fairfax and the Interstate 495 interchange outside of Vienna.

Information for joining the meetings can be found on VDOT’s Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project website at outside.transform66.org/events. Questions can be submitted in writing through the WebEx chat or by calling 703-662-3892.

The meetings will be streamed live on VDOT’s YouTube Channel and will be posted to the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway website the following day.

The Transform 66 project will expand I-66 with new express lanes along a 22.5-mile stretch. VDOT also plans to enhance the corridor outside the Capital Beltway by adding more than 4,000 park-and-ride spaces, 11 miles of new bicycle and pedestrian trails, interchange improvements, and improved bus service and transit routes.

Construction on I-66 outside the Beltway has been ongoing since 2017, commencing shortly after new express lanes opened on I-66 inside the Beltway on Dec. 4 of that year. The outside-the-Beltway portion of the express lanes are not expected to be completed until late 2022.

Photo courtesy Virginia Department of Transportation

Late night drivers around Tysons may experience some detours this weekend and next week if they travel around the interchange connecting I-66 and I-495 near Merrifield.

Former Governor Eyeing Run for Seat — “Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe filed paperwork with the State Board of Elections Thursday to seek the governorship in 2021 but has not made a decision yet whether he will actually run for office. In the paperwork, McAuliffe listed himself as a Democratic candidate for governor.” [Patch]

Unemployment Update — “After two successive weeks of significant drops, initial claims for unemployment benefits increased slightly in Northern Virginia last week.” [Inside NoVa]

Traffic Alert for Gallows Road Over I-66 — “Installation of bridge beams for the new Gallows Road Bridge over I-66 will require reducing Gallows Road over I-66 to one travel lane in each direction from 11 a.m. Saturday, August 22, through 8 a.m. Monday, August 24.” [Virginia Department of Transportation]

Lender Could Seize Vienna Hotel — “A portfolio of 48 hotels nationwide, including one in Vienna and several others in Virginia and Maryland, could be seized in a $780 million foreclosure lawsuit.” [Washington Business Journal]

Unemployment Benefits Bump? — “Virginia is applying for federal funds made available by President Donald Trump to supplement state unemployment benefits by $300 a week, Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration said Wednesday.” [Inside NoVa]

Photo by Michelle Goldchain

A multi-vehicle crash along eastbound I-66 right before I-495 is causing major traffic for several miles.

“The East left lane, center lane and right lane are closed,” according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Drivers can expect delays for two miles, according to a Fairfax County alert sent out at 4 p.m.

Update: Crash: EB on I-66 at MM64.1 (0.3mi west of I-495S Exit64A) in Fairfax Co. All EB travel lanes closed. 3:52PM

— 511 Northern VA (@511northernva) July 20, 2020

Image via VDOT, map via Google Maps

Hot Today Ahead — A Heat Advisory will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m. today (Monday). [National Weather Service]

New Ramp in Vienna Area — “Motorists driving on northbound Nutley Street in the Vienna area this week will begin using a new temporary ramp and traffic signal to reach westbound Interstate 66, as construction of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project continues, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said.” [Inside NoVa]

Business Survey — “The City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) is reaching out to small businesses to help with the challenges of the pandemic. The EDA opened a quick five question survey to gauge interest in providing supplies to support the safe reopening of businesses.” [City of Falls Church, survey]

Work on a new ramp linking eastbound I-66 to the West Falls Church Metro station is expected to start today (Monday).

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said in a press release that the work, which is a part of the I-66 Eastbound Widening Project, will connect two existing ramps.

“This direct access will save time for motorists on I-66 East who are headed to the West Falls Church Metrorail station and reduce traffic on Route 7,” Mark Gibney, VDOT’s design-build project manager, said in the press release.

More from VDOT:

When the project is complete, drivers will exit I-66 East for Route 7, stay left to connect to the ramp from Route 7 East to I-66 East, then stay right to reach Falls Church Drive and the West Falls Church Metrorail station.

All improvements will be performed within existing VDOT right-of-way.

Construction activities will begin with shoulder strengthening on the left side of I-66 East approaching the Route 7 interchange and along the left side of the Route 7 East ramp to I-66 East so traffic can be shifted to the left.

The two existing ramps will remain open during construction, although traffic shifts and occasional overnight traffic stoppages will be required. Construction will occur during daytime and nighttime hours.

VDOT expects the new ramp to open later this year.

Map via Google Maps 

Commuters can expect delays today at the I-495 and I-66 interchange following a tractor-trailer crash early this morning.

The tractor-trailer overturned on I-66, spilling metal debris onto the ramp from northbound I-495 to I-66, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. The debris punctured another truck, causing a hazmat situation and closures around 4 a.m., VDOT said.

While the ramp from northbound I-495 to I-66 has reopened, VDOT said that commuters this morning will be impacted.

As of 9:10 a.m., drivers can expect delays eastbound on I-66 and two-mile-long backups near I-495, according to VDOT.

“The ramp from I-66 East to I-495 North is partially blocked,” VDOT said. “The ramp from I-495 North to I-66 West is partially blocked.”

Meanwhile, drivers heading north on I-495 can expect traffic congestion and backups stretching about two miles.

Update: 66EB ramp to 495NB is now partially opened. https://t.co/LEe1Ev7XI9

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 11, 2020

This. Is. Why. Towing. Is. Important.
(P.S. for those who don’t know, this is a rotator) https://t.co/9fsSZnSeu0 pic.twitter.com/IIvmL1dOzl

— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) March 11, 2020

Map via Google Maps

Major work underway to revamp I-66 underway may soon extend to a bridge and road on the border of Vienna.

Plans to demolish and rebuild Cedar Lane’s bridge over I-66 and the Metro tracks are a part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s multi-year Transform 66 project.

Susan Shaw, VDOT, and Nancy Smith with FAM provided the Town Council an update on the bridge project last night (Monday).

While nothing has been finalized yet, the bridge will likely get demolished and rebuilt this summer to take advantage of the Orange Line Metro shutdown, they said.

“We’re still having this dialogue so a final decision isn’t made,” Shaw said.

Currently, the lack of a right-hand shoulder on I-66 is creating safety concerns, Smith said.

VDOT is currently looking at move forward with single-phase construction, which would last for six months, Smith told the council, adding that three-phase construction that would last at least 28 months is also an option.

“It would allow us to take full advantage of WMATA’s shutdown,” she said, adding that the goal is to demolish and rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible.

The single-phase construction would require a detour for drivers and pedestrians for the entire six months, Smith said, noting that this option would have fewer impacts on I-66.

Smith said that an analysis of a six-month closure of the bridge found that two-thirds of the traffic on is cut-through traffic between the City of Fairfax and Tysons, while one-third of the traffic is local.

The analysis suggested that drivers would find alternative routes, with local traffic shifting to Nutley Street and Gallows Road.

Smith said that a different detour would be in place for the roughly 40 pedestrians and 20 bicyclists who currently use the bridge every day.

Smith said that the two Fairfax Connector routes that use the bridge would need to be rerouted for a six-month closure.

The bridge is just one of several projects in the area, including:

• work on new Vaden Drive bridge
• construction of new Gallows Road bridge
• work on pedestrian and shared-use path along Nutley Street

“Obviously, Cedar Lane construction won’t happen in a vacuum,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of other construction happening on the corridor simultaneously.”

Work is set to start on the Cedar Lane Bridge in May, Smith said. The new bridge would aim to open by mid-November.

Once the bridge is closed for construction, Smith said that commuters can expect congestion to increase.

People interested in learning more about the single-phase construction can expect a meeting at Thoreau Middle School in late March, Smith said.

Image (1) via Google Maps, image (2) and maps via Town of Vienna

The new trails underway along I-66 now have a name: the “66 Parallel Trail.”

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the name on Tuesday (Nov. 20) for the trails that will be added by the county and the Transform 66 Express Lanes Project.

In addition to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) creating 22.5 miles of express lanes from I-495 to Prince William County, people can expect 11 miles of new pedestrian and bike trails in Fairfax County.

“Trail segments that cannot be accommodated within the highway right-of-way are to be funded by Fairfax County and constructed as part of VDOT’s locally administered projects,” according to county documents.

The county’s Department of Transportation (FCDOT) gathered name suggestions and held two public meetings in the spring. After 1,124 respondents took an online survey with name options, FCDOT staff recommended the “66 Parallel Trail” to the county board.

The names in the survey included:

• Sixty-Six or 66 Parallel
• Sixty-Six or 66 Ramble
• Capital Gateway
• Dogwood Trail
• East-West Gateway
• Heart of Fairfax Trail
• Kaleidoscope Trail
• Mid-County Trail

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook jokingly said that he wanted the name to be the “Smyth, Cook, Herrity and Smith Trail” — after the last names of the supervisors whose districts are affected by the name change.

Chairman Sharon Bulova said that “66 Ramble” was her favorite.

Images via VDOT

Drivers have one week left to use the Vaden Drive Bridge over I-66 before it closes and gets replaced by a new bridge.

The bridge, which is near the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metro station, will be closed for about 10 months starting at 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 18.

The closure is apart of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s multi-year Transform 66 project.

“The previously announced bridge closure is expected to cut in half — from 24 months to 12 months — the time needed to demolish the existing bridge and construct a new one,” according to an update yesterday from VDOT. “This shortened schedule will help reduce construction impacts on adjacent communities and roadway users.”

A new bridge is getting built to accommodate more cars and the I-66 widening. People can keep a lookout for the construction to start on the new bridge in November, with an anticipated opening next September.

While the bridge is closed, drivers will be detoured to Nutley Street to get to I-66. Pedestrians will be detoured to the pedestrian bridge at the Metro station.

Demolition of the bridge is expected to be finished by early December, according to VDOT.

Crews will also work on the intersection of Saintsbury Drive and Nutley Street while the detour is in place.

The parking garages at the Metro station will remain open.

Image via Google Maps