WASHINGTON — Late night drivers on the Capital Beltway should brace for brake lights in Virginia as a new bridge begins to take shape.
The $57.8 million Jones Branch Connector project is in full swing as crews shift beams into place for an overpass that will soon span both loops of the Beltway between Virginia Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road.
The work will take place above the Inner Loop during the nighttime hours Monday through Thursday until May 10. Lane closures are scheduled to begin around 10 p.m. Two left lanes will be blocked on the mainline and traffic will be diverted out of the express lanes at the Jones Branch Road exit.
“We have to hoist giant metal beams up, secure them in place, enough of them to build a bridge deck. For safety reasons, we have to institute closures,” said Ellen Kamilakis, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The new, two-lane overpass, is expected to be open to traffic this coming winter. Along with wide sidewalks, the bridge will be landscaped and adorned with streetscape features similar to the bridges over the Beltway on each side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
The new road and bridge will connect Route 123 near the Capital One Bank headquarters with Jones Branch Drive to the west of the Beltway.
“Once the project is complete, drivers will be able to cross through central Tysons, not only in vehicles but we are going to have an 8- to 12-foot sidewalk and we are going to have a wide, raised median to be able to accommodate future transit within Tysons,” Kamilakis said.
The project is backed by a combination of federal, state, and county funds and is on track for completion in early 2019.
