495 Express Lanes

Transurban leadership, local elected officials and other project members break ground on the 495 Express Lanes project in the summer of 2008. The groundbreaking marked the start of the most significant package of improvements to the Beltway in a generation. Drivers, carpoolers and transit riders will enjoy congestion relief and new access points into Tysons Corner and Merrifield when the Express Lanes open.

The new two-lane Oak Street bridge includes pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly sidewalks and new curbs and gutters to better manage storm water runoff. 

The new Oak Street bridge opened to traffic in August 2011 and crosses over the Capital Beltway. It features wider sidewalks for pedestrians.

Project stakeholders stand ready to cut the ribbon on the new Idylwood Road bridge. With input from the public, the original plan calling for a two year rebuild of the bridge was dropped for a plan that completed the bridge in about six months. Public input and coordination was essential to the revised plan.

Fairfax County Braddock District Supervisor John Cook addresses a group during the opening of the Wakefield Pedestrian bridge, one of the overpasses replaced as part of the 495 Express Lanes construction. Part of the upgrades to the new bridge include an access ramp that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At the opening of the new W&OD Trail bridge, the Friends of the W&OD Trail received a Transurban-Fluor 495 Express Lanes community grant for new benches and other enhancements along the historic trail.  The original W&OD Trail bridge, approximately 40 years old before it was torn down, was one of many overpasses replaced as part of the project.

Larry Cloyed, senior project manager with VDOT, addresses the crowd at the W&OD Trail bridge opening event.

Project stakeholders ceremonially open the new W&OD Trail bridge for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The new bridge, four feet wider and 30 feet longer than the old bridge, provides better access and safety to recreational users.  

Bicyclists enjoy the newly completed W&OD Trail bridge in Dunn Lorring, Virginia. Almost 30 feet longer and four feet wider than the old W&OD Trail bridge, pedestrians, runners and bicyclists benefit from safer travel over the new bridge. 

The Little River Turnpike bridge was opened 10 months ahead of original schedule.

Project representatives gather on the Lewinsville Road bridge for an opening ceremony. The new bridge is 30 feet longer and 13 feet wider than the 50-year-old bridge it replaced.

Project staff, stakeholders and elected officials cut the ribbon on the new Lewinsville Road bridge. The fire truck located behind the participants was restored with grant funds delivered by the Transurban-Fluor 495 Express Lanes Community Grant Program.

View of the new Gallows Road southbound bridge. The southbound portion opened to drivers in August 2010. All of the new bridge spans include new bike and pedestrian access.

Travelers drive across the newly finished Gallows Road bridge completed in August 2011. One of over 50 bridges replaced during 495 Express Lanes construction, the Gallows Road bridge was completed 10 months ahead of schedule.

The new Braddock Road bridge is visible just under the tree line. More than $260 million of aging infrastructure was replaced as part of the 495 Express Lanes project.

495 Express Lanes project stakeholders mark the start of construction on the Express Lanes Operations Center. The Center won the Award of Excellence for Best Building Renovation/Adaptive Re-use at the Commercial Real Estate Development Association Awards.  

The Express Lanes Operations Center, which will oversee operations of the 495 Express Lanes, under construction in 2011.

A view the lobby inside of the completed Express Lanes Operations Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The building features a traffic control room with a video wall that will display live feeds of traffic along the 495 Express Lanes to help the operators run the facility.

The Express Lanes Operations Center was designed to LEED certification standards. It is expected to conserve water and heat, and reduce energy use through environmentally friendly plumbing, heating and mechanical systems.