June 16, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2022
Contact:
Tim Pratt
(571) 253-3057
tpratt@transurban.com
TYSONS – Transurban, developer and operator of the 495, 95 and 395 Express Lanes, is launching a new competitive grant program to benefit the local community as part of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project in Fairfax County.
The 495 NEXT Community Grant program will award multiple grants each quarter worth up to $3,000 to non-profit organizations, educational institutions and other entities that sustain, enhance or protect the local environment and neighborhoods in proximity to the 495 NEXT project corridor.
“The launch of this important new grant program demonstrates our continued commitment to giving back to the communities we serve,” said Jeff Taylor, Vice President of Project Delivery, Transurban North America. “By investing in organizations that serve a variety of critical needs, we are working to improve residents’ quality of life across the region to ensure they thrive not just during construction, but well into the future.”
Stretching 2 1/2 miles, 495 NEXT, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation, will add two new dynamically tolled Express Lanes in each direction of 495, beginning where the Express Lanes currently terminate near Tysons and ending at George Washington Memorial Parkway, with new or improved connections at the Dulles Toll Road interchange and George Washington Memorial Parkway. The project will reduce cut-through traffic for local communities and will deliver faster, more reliable travel with up to 24 minutes of travel time savings for Express Lanes customers. High-occupancy Vehicles (HOV) with three or more travelers, bus riders and motorcyclists travel for free. The project also will set the stage for the New American Legion Bridge I-270 Traffic Relief Plan, which ultimately will connect with 495 NEXT and create a seamless, regional Express Lanes system.
Along with the travel benefits, the project’s Community Grant program will bolster the efforts of organizations throughout the corridor. Over the past decade, Transurban’s Community Grant programs have contributed more than $2.3 million to more than 350 organizations, creating healthier communities across the region, including those providing educational programming, support to the vulnerable, environmental sustainability, and other critical services.
The 495 NEXT Community Grant program will build on the success of these existing grant programs to deliver funding to organizations that meet the criteria. Successful grant applications will support an organization or neighborhood; provide benefits to a directly-affected community near the 495 NEXT corridor; or demonstrate social, environmental or safety benefits within the corridor.
Deadlines to apply for a community grant program occur quarterly, with the initial deadline on June 30. To learn more about Transurban’s Express Lanes Community Grant programs and how to apply, visit https://www.expresslanes.com/about#community-grant-programs