Beltway Express Lanes Extension Into Alexandria To Get Regional Board Vote

ALEXANDRIA, VA — On Wednesday, a D.C. region board will vote on whether the Capital Beltway Express Lanes extension should move forward.

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, will vote on whether to advance the I-495 Southside Express Lanes project. If approved, it would be included in TPB's Visualize 2050, a regional transportation plan mapping out planned investments through 2050.

Transportation projects must be in the Visualize 2050 plan to receive federal funding and approvals.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has been studying the potential extension of Express Lanes on the Capital Beltway beyond the Springfield interchange in Fairfax County, across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, to the MD 210 interchange in Prince George's County, Maryland.

The extension would run through Alexandria to the north and Fairfax County to the south.

This section of the Beltway is plagued by frequent congestion, particularly during rush hour times. VDOT says the Express Lanes could provide more travel reliability, and a "no build" option could increase travel times with future traffic projected to increase.

However, there has been some public opposition to the Express Lanes option. Public comments submitted to VDOT have mentioned the need for transit options such as a Metrorail extension across the bridge, impacts of pollution and noise from additional travel lanes, and bottlenecks remaining on the Maryland side of the bridge.

This would be the last place Express Lanes are added alongside the regular Capital Beltway lanes in Northern Virginia — once the 495 Northern Extension to near the American Legion Bridge opens in late 2025. Maryland does not have any Express Lanes on its section of the Capital Beltway.

Along with the TPB vote, a public hearing on the environmental assessment is expected in late 2025. A federal decision on the Express Lanes option could come in early 2026.

The TPB meeting will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 777 N. Capitol St. NE, Suite 300, Washington, DC.

A livestream will also be available. Comments are being accepted at the meeting.

Virtual comments may be provided by emailing TPBcomment@mwcog.org with the subject line “Item 1 Public Comment Opportunity,” or by calling and leaving a message at 202-962-3315.

Take our poll on the Express Lanes proposal below and feel free to leave a comment.