Driving enhancements to improve your quality of life
The 495 Northern Extension (NEXT) project includes regional improvements that will:
Improve the drive…
Cut commute times in half during rush hour on the Express Lanes with more options for faster, more reliable travel
Reduce cut-through traffic on local roads in McLean and Great Falls, returning the local roads to residents and reducing intersection delays at Georgetown Pike by as much as 40%
Promote safer commuting by eliminating 1 in 5 accidents along this stretch of the Beltway
Improve the local economy…
Spur positive economic impact through creation of an estimated 6,300 jobs and $880 million in economic activity during project development and construction
Drive the regional economy by improving connections between critical commercial centers in Tysons, Dulles, and beyond
Improve the community…
Kickstart long-term environmental benefits by prompting a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, creating new miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails, investing in stream restoration, and upgrading storm water management systems
Establish new transit service between Fairfax County and Maryland through a multi-million-dollar capital investment in new buses and routes
What is Project NEXT?
495 NEXT is a two-mile extension of the current 495 Express Lanes north to the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The project is fully funded by the private sector and includes new Express Lanes connections at the Dulles Toll Road and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a new 3-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail, and replacement of the old soundwalls throughout the corridor.
What’s NEXT for regional mobility?
495 NEXT will provide new travel choices that will move 2,500 more people an hour during the rush hour period, while giving commuters an “emergency exit” to escape traffic for when time is most important, providing an option that can cut the travel time in half. New express lanes also keep more commuters on the highway and off of neighborhood streets in McLean and Great Falls, improving safety and reducing local congestion.
What’s NEXT for transit improvements?
New Express Lanes mean upgraded mass transit options for the region. While zero bus routes cross the American Legion Bridge today, 495 NEXT will invest millions of dollars each year to operate a new bus line between Tysons and Bethesda, furthering the 105% increase in regional Express Lanes bus lines over the past ten years. The Virginia Transit Association estimates this investment will generate over 172,000 transit trips annually, removing nearly 4.7 million passenger miles from our roadways, while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by over 1,650 metric tons each year.
What’s NEXT for advancing the environment?
495 NEXT brings more travel choices, moving more people in fewer vehicles to reduce congestion in the corridor, providing a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades.
495 NEXT will bring stormwater management facilities to this portion of the Beltway, where none exist today, providing a vital infrastructure upgrade, increased water quality, and runoff control that the corridor deserves.
In partnership with Fairfax County, 495 NEXT is contributing $1.4 million towards efforts to restore the Scotts Run Stream. Through reestablishing nearly 4,900 linear feet of the stream in McLean, together we’ll improve water quality in the Scotts Run watershed.