The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will host a series of information meetings to provide updates on the I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study. Information will be provided on the three alternatives (No-Build Alternative, 1 Express Lane, 2 Express Lanes Alternative) under study to address identified transportation needs on the southern section of the Capital Beltway from the Springfield Interchange in Fairfax County, across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, to the MD 210 Interchange in Prince George's County, Maryland. VDOT will also provide preliminary traffic analysis data and updates on study progress and ongoing coordination. 

The in-person meetings are scheduled as follows: 

• Tuesday, April 1, 2025- West Potomac High School Cafeteria at 6:30pm
• Wednesday, April 2, 2025- Oxon Hill High School Auditorium at 6:30pm
• Monday, April 7, 2025- Thomas A. Edison High School Cafeteria at 6:30pm
• Wednesday, April 9, 2025- Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center at 6:30pm 

Additionally, a virtual public information room is now available. Visitors can view the meeting presentation and boards, and provide input. 

The public is invited to provide their input by submitting oral and/or written comments at the meetings, via the online comment form, email to 495southsideexpresslanes@vdot.virginia.gov , or mail to Michelle Shropshire, P.E., VDOT Northern Virginia Megaprojects Director, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, by Monday, April 21, 2025. 

• VDOT is currently conducting the 495 Southside Express Lanes Environmental Study (495 Southside Study), which involves assessing a potential extension of the Express Lanes system on I-495 (the Capital Beltway) for 11 miles from the Springfield interchange (I-95/I-395/I-495) across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, to the MD 210 in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Information on the project can be found on the I-495 Southside Express Lane Project Website. The 495 Southside Express Lanes study is included in VDOT’s current Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), as well as in the National Capital Region's Visualize 2045 Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP). 
• Early 2025: Public information meetings to present findings of traffic/engineering evaluations
• Mid-2025: Public hearing on Environmental Assessment and recommended preferred alternative
• Mid-late 2025: Regional transportation planning board vote on inclusion in Visualize 2050 plan
• The City provided input to VDOT on this phase of the study and included concerns heard from the community at the various public meetings. Some of the feedback that was provided included: 
  • The criteria provided, including continuity of the Express Lane system, seem to bias the selection of alternatives towards those that include new Express Lanes, rather than those that prioritize transit and transportation demand management measures. 
  • Additional lanes may lead to additional demand on; therefore, increased traffic on the facility overtime. 
  • Express Lane options could add constraints on providing new transit, specifically Metrorail lines on this corridor and across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the future.
• To help inform VDOT's study, noted above, the Virginia Department of Trail and Public Transit (DRPT) conducted a study to identify a range of current and future multimodal solutions that could be implemented to reduce congestion, improve trip reliability and regional connections, and enhance existing and planned multimodal mobility and connectivity in the study area with a potentially expanded Express Lanes system. There are no plans to fund any transit improvements from this study. 

Transurban, the company that is building and managing the I-395 Express Lanes project, informed the City of Alexandria and VDOT in October 2018 that it would like to analyze the possibility of opening the south-facing ramp at the Seminary Road exit for high occupancy toll (HOT) paying vehicles. The south-facing ramp, opened in early 2016, was planned to remain restricted high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and transit traffic traveling north in the morning and south in the evening, even after completion of the I-395 Express Lanes. The existing north-facing ramp (serving traffic going to and from points north, in the mornings and evenings respectively) was always planned to serve HOV, transit and HOT paying vehicles as a part of the I-395 Express Lanes project. City of Alexandria Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) staff is coordinating with Transurban and VDOT on an analysis (to be conducted by Transurban) of the forecasted traffic changes that could occur from the proposed change. 

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the project was put on hold in 2020.  In November 2021, VDOT and Transurban notified staff that they planned to move forward with this project.  For more information, read the Memo to City Council that was distributed on November 16.  On January 12, 2022 the Commonwealth Transportation Board took action to designate the current HOV only ramps as HOT with HOV-3 occupancy, consistent with the 395 Express Lanes. 

In 20191, VDOT conducted a study to assess safety and operational improvements at the I-395 Shirlington interchange (Exit 6), as well as at the following:

• Ramp from South Glebe Road (Route 120) to southbound I-395.
• Intersection of South Shirlington Road and South Arlington Mill Drive.
• Intersection of Gunston Road and Martha Custis Drive.

VDOT released a final report with recommendations in 2020. In 2024, the NVTA applied to the state for funding to implement improvements on behalf of the City of Alexandria and Arlington County.  

This STARS (Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions) study is assessing potential safety, operational, transit and bicycle/pedestrian improvements along the two-and-a-half mile stretch of South Van Dorn Street (Route 613) between Telegraph Road (Route 611) and the Alexandria city limits.  

The study team will solicit public input regarding corridor priorities during the first round of public involvement in Winter/Spring 2025. This feedback will be used to help develop potential alternatives that will be evaluated and presented during the second round of public involvement scheduled later in the year.