VDOT News - Northern Virginia

FAIRFAX – A new travel lane on Interstate 66 East between the Dulles Connector Road and exit 71 (Glebe Road/Fairfax Drive) opened today as part of the I-66 Eastbound Widening project. The new lane addresses a bottleneck on I-66, east of the Capital Beltway, where eastbound traffic on the Dulles Connector Road merges into eastbound I-66, funneling down to two through-lanes. In addition to the new four miles of additional lane, ramp improvements have been completed at exits 69 (Washington Boulevard/Lee Highway) and 71 (Glebe Road/Fairfax Drive), as well as rehabilitation and repairs to bridges, and construction of more than 12,000 linear feet of new and replacement noise barriers along eastbound and westbound I-66.

“We are pleased to announce the completion of our widening effort on I-66 inside the Capital Beltway, an important part of a comprehensive set of multimodal improvements benefitting the I-66 corridor,” commented Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “Today’s milestone is the result of many partners working together to support a compromise that was reached by the General Assembly in 2016, enabling us to initiate the widening of a very constrained and often-congested section of the highway. The widened roadway, combined with peak-hour express lanes and multimodal improvements funded by express lanes toll revenues, are designed to work together to move more people through the I-66 corridor.

“Recognizing the changes in traffic volumes and commute patterns due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the Commonwealth is committed to delivering travel improvements that offer flexibility and choices that will address current and future travel needs,” continued Valentine.

“Adding another travel lane to this portion of eastbound I-66 helps address a chronic traffic choke point that for years has slowed traffic,” added VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich. “This targeted infrastructure improvement, combined with express lanes and the toll-funded Commuter Choice multimodal program, all contribute to improve travel in the I-66 corridor through better use of the limited space available.”

In addition to improving traffic flow on eastbound I-66, other components of the I-66 Eastbound Widening Project include constructing a:

• New Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail bridge over Lee Highway (Route 29) in a heavily traveled portion of the trail between Arlington and Falls Church. The bridge is expected to open in February 2021.
• Direct access ramp from I-66 East to the West Falls Church Metrorail Station at the Leesburg Pike (Route 7) interchange using two existing ramps -- eastbound I-66 to Route 7 and the eastbound I-66 collector-distributor road adjacent to the station’s parking garage. The ramp connection is expected to open in spring 2021.

Intermittent single lane or shoulder closures may still be needed throughout the I-66 Eastbound Widening project limits during daytime and/or overnight hours for minor remaining items over the next several weeks. The $85.7 million project is being built by Lane Construction Corporation of Chantilly under a design-build contract. Work on the widening project began in June 2018.

Learn more about the project at inside.transform66.org. Follow VDOT Northern Virginia on Twitter: @vadotnova.

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