VDOT News - Northern Virginia

FAIRFAX – All lanes on I-66 approaching Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) will close nightly again this weekend, January 22-25, to allow continued demolition of the old northbound and southbound Route 123 bridges over I-66 as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project. I-66 traffic will be detoured around the closure using the ramps at the Route 123 Interchange. Drivers traveling on I-66 during this time should expect delays and consider using alternate routes. Route 123 will remain open during these operations, but drivers should expect possible delays crossing over I-66 and follow police direction.

During the nightly closures, demolition crews will remove portions of the old Route 123 bridges over the travel lanes of eastbound and westbound I-66. Overall demolition of the old bridges at the interchange is anticipated to take approximately 8 to 12 weeks. Up-to-date information and lane closures related to this bridge demolition work can be found at the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project’s Route 123 webpage.

Demolition Progress to Date:

• Crews completed removal of the old northbound Route 123 concrete bridge deck over the I-66 East travel lanes and over two of the I-66 West travel lanes during the weekend of January 15-18.

What Neighbors Should Expect This Week:

• Demolition work on the remainder of the old northbound Route 123 bridge will continue during daytime hours the week of January 18.
• Demolition work will occur during overnight hours throughout the weekend, Friday through Sunday nights, January 22-24, with removal of the concrete bridge deck using jackhammers, saw cutters, and hoe rams, followed by removal of steel bridge beams.
• Daytime and/or nighttime demolition work will continue the week of January 25.

What Drivers Should Expect This Weekend:

Friday, January 22
I-66 East at Route 123

• I-66 East travel lanes will be closed at Route 123 between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• All traffic will be directed to exit the interstate at Route 123, stay to the left on the ramp, then continue across Route 123 to the ramp to I-66 East.
• All lanes will reopen by 8 a.m. Saturday.

I-66 West at Route 123

• I-66 West travel lanes will be closed at Route 123 between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
• All traffic will be directed to exit the interstate at Route 123, stay to the left on the ramp, then continue across Route 123 to the ramp to I-66 West.
• All lanes will reopen by 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Saturday, January 23
I-66 East at Route 123

• I-66 East travel lanes will be closed at Route 123 between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• All traffic will be directed to exit the interstate at Route 123, stay to the left on the ramp, then continue across Route 123 to the ramp to I-66 East.
• All lanes will reopen by 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

I-66 West at Route 123

• I-66 West travel lanes will be closed at Route 123 between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
• All traffic will be directed to exit the interstate at Route 123, stay to the left on the ramp, then continue across Route 123 to the ramp to I-66 West.
• All lanes will reopen by 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

Sunday, January 24
I-66 East and West at Route 123

• I-66 East and West travel lanes will be closed at Route 123 between 10:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m.
• All I-66 traffic will be directed to exit the interstate at Route 123, stay to the left on the ramp, then continue across Route 123 to return to I-66.
• All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

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

Southbound Route 123 traffic will be shifted to the new Route 123 bridge over I-66 on or about Thursday, January 21, allowing crews to begin demolition of the old Route 123 South bridge. Portions of the old bridges that are over I-66 must be demolished during nighttime hours so that travel lanes can be temporarily closed. Northbound Route 123 traffic was shifted to the new Route 123 bridge over I-66 on December 30, 2020.

The Route 123 Interchange is being rebuilt to add Express Lanes access to and from the east and west and construct a new shared-use path.

Demolition progress and updates will be posted regularly to the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project’s Route 123 webpage and sent to the project email list (sign up here to receive).

Construction and lane closure updates are available at Transform66.org and on Twitter @VaDOTNOVA.   

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