There is new bridge work scheduled this weekend in Virginia to go along with the I-66 transformation project. In the District, work on the I-295/DC 295 and South Capitol Street projects continue. And in Maryland, more Purple Line work picks up after a brief pause.
There is a slight chance for rain Saturday, but here’s what is planned for now:
Roadwork
Virginia
Our reports here are generally all about the ever-changing work of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project, which continues this weekend, but we’re going to start off with an unexpected closure that motorists in Great Falls should be aware of.
This weekend, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has plans, weather permitting, for bridge deck repairs along Georgetown Pike (Route 193) over Difficult Run. This closure is slated to begin Friday at 8 p.m., between Old Dominion Drive and Towlston Road, and continue through 4 a.m. Monday morning.
VDOT officials said they believe that plans for overnight and full-weekend work would be less disruptive, as opposed to several weeks with one lane open. They apologized in advance for the overnight noise and inconvenience to residents.
Those needing to reach properties along Georgetown Pike will be able to do so via a detour, but will not have access to the bridge crossing Difficult Run on Georgetown Pike in either direction. The access to the Difficult Run Stream Valley parking lot will be maintained via eastbound Georgetown Pike at Old Dominion Drive.
The crew will be replacing concrete approach slabs as well as patching on the concrete deck and repair of the bridge joints. The bridge is expected to reopen with temporary steel plates in place with additional asphalt and striping work planned two weeks later.
Now for the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project. We’ll start on I-66 at the Beltway, where both Friday and Saturday nights the work is scheduled between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day.
Westbound I-66 approaching the Beltway will be closed and diverted to I-495’s Outer Loop to head south for an exit at US-50 Arlington Boulevard toward Fairview Park for an extended U-turn, which will eventually return motorists to I-66 westbound via the Beltway northbound. With this work, I-495 Beltway’s Inner Loop ramp to I-66 West will be reduced to a single lane and the I-495 Express Lane ramps south going to I-66 West will be closed.
Through Saturday morning, on I-66 eastbound at the Beltway, there continues to be overnight paving and lane reductions, with only two lanes open for travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly.
Also, on I-66 eastbound through Saturday morning, two overnight travel changes are scheduled in Vienna. The bigger closure will be eastbound I-66 past Route 123, with three lanes scheduled to be closed through noon as crews implement a new traffic shift. With this closure, the ramps from Route 123 to I-66 East will be closed and detoured.
Once completed, this new traffic shift will separate the I-66 eastbound HOV lane from the through lanes. The travel lanes on eastbound I-66 between Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and Blake Lane will be shifted into a new configuration for approximately two months beginning Saturday.
When this traffic change is implemented, the left (HOV) lane will be separated from the three general purpose lanes by a barrier-enclosed construction area. This HOV lane will have no access to Nutley Street. There will be signs and message boards to alert drivers to stay right at the lane split to access Nutley Street.
A second eastbound I-66 closure will be closer to Nutley Street, with two lanes shut down for barrier work overnights between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
For motorists heading westbound on I-66 overnights in Vienna, there are also two lanes closed on the approach to Route 123 due to traffic shift work between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. This will continue into Saturday morning.
Farther west on I-66 in Fairfax, the overnight work will continue westbound approaching Route 50, with full nightly closures and detours between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. due to overhead bridge work. The work both Friday and Saturday night will have all westbound I-66 traffic directed to Route 50 westbound for a U-turn at West Ox Road so that motorists can continue to I-66 West. With this work, the ramp from I-66 East to Route 50 West will also be closed and detoured and the ramp from I-66 West to Monument Drive closed.
In Manassas and Gainesville, there will only be a single lane traveling through on I-66 between Route 29 in Centreville and Prince William Parkway/Route 234 for paving. This closure was extended into this weekend nightly between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Where the work is located, the ramps to and from I-66 and Route 234 Business (Sudley Road) will be closed and detoured. Expect closures and detour for the Prince William Parkway ramps to I-66 East and I-66 East to southbound Prince William Parkway/Route 234 Bypass.
As a quick reminder, all work is weather-dependent and subject to change. Be sure to stay tuned to WTOP and traffic on the 8s for the latest. And you can call the Traffic Center at any time with information on changes at 866-304-WTOP.
DC
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has been doing work on I-295 during off-peak hours between Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue and Eastern Avenue that is scheduled to continue into this weekend. The lane closures on this stretch of roadway have been in place between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily, weather permitting. The crew will be focused in the southbound direction, according to DDOT, with a right lane closed as part of the I-295/DC 295 Corridor Project.
The work for the South Capitol Street Corridor project will also continue this weekend, with DDOT temporarily closing Howard Road and South Capitol Street overnights through the weekend between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. nightly.
Howard Road will be closed between Firth Sterling Avenue SE, and the WMATA Parking Garage and South Capitol Street will be closed and detoured between Firth Sterling Avenue SE and the Suitland Parkway.
Maryland
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT SHA) has begun a resurfacing project in Prince George’s County for MD-210/Indian Head Highway and the ramps for the I-495 Capital Beltway. It will also begin work on the MD-3/MD-32 interchange in Anne Arundel County.
Beginning Sunday, MDOT SHA will begin resurfacing the four ramps of the MD-3/MD-32 interchange, which will continue nightly Sundays to Thursdays through the month of June. This work will require nightly lane and ramp closures, with detours posted through the interchange and variable message boards on the scene to provide advanced notification and guidance.
And for MD-210 northbound to the I-495 Capital Beltway, there are full nightly closures and detours in place from Sundays to Thursdays between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. For northbound travelers to reach the Outer Loop, drivers are being rerouted to MD-414/Saint Barnabas Road. There will also be posted detours to go from northbound MD-210 to south on the Beltway’s Inner Loop.
There have been a few new nightly work zones implemented for Purple Line Construction project that went into place this week. In New Carrollton, the work will be taking place on MD-50/Annapolis Road between MD-410/Veteran’s Parkway and Ardwick Admore Road. Weather permitting, single-lane closures take place overnights between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. for waterline relocation.
In Riverdale, the work has also resumed nightly on Kenilworth Avenue/MD-201 between River Road and Riverdale Road, with various lanes closed for utility relocation between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Crews have also resumed nightly utility work along University Boulevard between Piney Branch and Riggs Roads overnights and weekends as needed.
In Silver Spring, Metro work has begun on Barron Street, with flagging operations between Piney Branch Road and Gilbert Street happening daily, as needed, through July. And for the next two weeks, tree clearing will be taking place on the north side of the CSX tracks between 16th Street and Fenwick Lane between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily and as needed on the weekends.
In Montgomery County, there is an intersection improvement project that takes place along Connecticut Avenue and Jones Bridge Road/Kensington Parkway during off-peak hours. This work has seen various lanes closed daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., as well as overnights Sunday through Thursday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.; this will continue through the summer.
In Prince George’s County, work continues nightly on I-95/I-495 Capital Beltway in the ongoing bridge replacement projects, with both directions of the Beltway seeing lanes closed nightly, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and Saturday, 6 p.m. to 11 a.m., anywhere between the Allentown Road/Joint Base Andrews exit and MD-4/Pennsylvania Avenue.
And of course, for summer travelers driving through Baltimore, be advised that the work on the I-895 Harbor Tunnel Thruway is scheduled to continue between the tunnels and Holabird Avenue, with lane closures during off-peak travel times.
Metro
This weekend will see the summer shutdown on the Green and Yellow Lines for the Platform Improvement Project continue, with the West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza, College Park-U of Md and the Greenbelt stations closed. The free shuttle service will also continue. You can check out the shuttle schedules and alternative travel options, parking and bus relocations here.
Also continuing this weekend is construction of the Potomac Yard station, which will cause single tracking on the Blue and Yellow Line between Braddock Road and National Airport.
Metro will operate on a normal weekend schedule on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Trains will serve 87 of 91 stations with normal service on the Red, Orange and Silver lines and the aforementioned service adjustments for the Blue, Green and Yellow lines.
Weekend service summary:
Red Line, Orange and Silver Lines: Normal weekend service.
Blue Line: Single tracking between National Airport and Braddock Road due to construction at the Potomac Yard station.
Yellow Line: Due to the summer Platform Improvement Project, expect:
- Trains operate between Huntington and Mount Vernon Square only.
- Travelers to stations north of Mount Vernon Square should transfer to the Green Line.
- Single tracking between National Airport and Braddock Road, with trains every 24 minutes.
Green Line: Trains every 15 to 20 minutes.
Due to the summer Platform Improvement Project, expect:
- Trains operate between Branch Ave and Fort Totten only.
- West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza, College Park-U of Md and Greenbelt stations will be closed.
Free shuttle buses replace trains as follows:
- Limited stop service between Greenbelt, College Park- U of Md and Fort Totten.
- Limited stop service between Prince George’s Plaza, West Hyattsville and Fort Totten.
- Local service between Greenbelt, College Park- U of Md Prince George’s Plaza and West Hyattsville.
For your safety and the safety of others, customers are required to wear cloth face coverings or masks while traveling on Metro.
