VDOT News - Northern Virginia

UPDATE (8/23): All six beams were installed over I-66 East on Saturday night. Lane closures on Gallows Road were all lifted by 9:45 a.m. No lane closures are planned at Gallows Road Sunday night. Lanes closures and stoppages will resume on I-66 and Gallows Road on Monday night.  

FAIRFAX – 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. Northbound and southbound Gallows Road traffic will run on Gallows Road South during this period. From around noon on Saturday, August 22, through 10 a.m. Sunday, August 23, flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound Gallows Road traffic in a single lane over I-66. These temporary lane closures on Gallows Road are necessary to allow space for the large crane that is needed to set the beams for the new Gallows Road Bridge.  

Message boards have been placed on Gallows Road and I-66 to provide advance notice of the closures and traffic stoppages. Drivers should expect delays if traveling in this area of Gallows Road, and are encouraged to use alternate routes or adjust their travel plans.

Additionally, eastbound I-66 will be reduced to a single travel lane approaching Gallows Road with multiple 30-minute traffic stoppages during overnight hours on Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23, for crews to lift bridge beams over I-66.

The extended lane closures this weekend will allow crews to install all the beams over I-66 East in just two nights, leveraging the current Metrorail Orange Line closure and lighter traffic volumes that have resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. The beam lifts must be done when the Orange Line is closed, as the new bridge is located directly above the Metrorail platform.

Details for upcoming lane closures include:

August 22-24
Gallows Road over I-66

• Beginning around 11 a.m. Saturday, August 22, through 8 a.m. Monday, August 24, Gallows Road will be reduced to two lanes with one travel lane in each direction. Two-way traffic will run in the southbound lanes over I-66.
• From around noon on Saturday, August 22, through 10 a.m. Sunday, August 23, northbound and southbound Gallows Road traffic will be flagged with alternating travel in a single lane over I-66.
• Pedestrian and bicycle access will continue uninterrupted using the sidewalk on the southbound side of Gallows Road.
• Entrances to nearby businesses and the parking garage and bus loop at the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metrorail Station will not be impacted.
• All lanes will reopen by 8 a.m. Monday, August 24.

I-66 East from Cedar Lane in Vienna to I-495

• I-66 East approaching Gallows Road will be reduced to a single travel lane during overnight hours Saturday, August 22, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Sunday, August 23, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Drivers should expect periodic 30-minute stoppages each night for crews to lift bridge beams into place. 
• All lanes will reopen by 9 a.m. Sunday, August 23, and by 5 a.m. Monday, August 24.

Additional nights of lane closures and traffic stoppages on I-66 East and West, and overnight lane closures on Gallows Road at I-66 are scheduled to occur over the following two weeks as work to install bridge beams advances. 

Gallows Road over I-66 is being reconstructed as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project. The bridge is being lengthened, widened, raised, and shifted to the east to accommodate the new Express Lanes and provide room for future improvements along Gallows Road.  

Weekly updates are available at Transform66.org and on Twitter @VaDOTNOVA. 

All work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled if inclement conditions occur.

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Gallows Road over I-66 will be reduced to two travel lanes from 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, through 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24, for bridge beam installation. Two-way traffic will run in the southbound lanes of Gallows Road. 

Starting around noon on Saturday, Aug. 22, through 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound Gallows Road traffic in a single lane over I-66.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.