Clarification, Oct. 20, 2026: An earlier version of this story cited Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay’s support for the project without noting opposition from other Virginia officials, including state Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell. The story has been updated to include Surovell’s April 2025 letter opposing the project and his statement to The Alexandria Brief.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia transportation officials will ask the region's Transportation Planning Board on Wednesday to start reconsidering express lanes on the Capital Beltway across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, a year after the board voted to leave them out of the region's long-range plan.
Virginia Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue is listed on the board's agenda to present updated concepts for the I-495 Southside Express Lanes project. The presentation will also cover new commitments and the Virginia Department of Transportation's coordination with the Maryland Department of Transportation and Prince George's County, according to the agenda and a media advisory the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued Monday.
The project would add two express lanes in each direction on about 11 miles of I-495. They would run from the Springfield Interchange, where I-95, I-395 and I-495 meet in Fairfax County, across the bridge to the MD 210 interchange in Prince George's County, Maryland, according to VDOT's project webpage and the advisory. The page lists Alexandria and Fairfax County as the project's city and county.
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