395 Express Lanes Project Team Begins 'Early Works' Activities

FAIRFAX - Next week the 395 Express Lanes project team will begin preliminary work, or "early work" to prepare for project construction to kick off this summer. Early works activities will help the project meet its aggressive schedule and will include efforts performed both in-the-field and remotely.

Early works activities include geotechnical investigations and surveying, and may require crews to access areas adjacent to the project corridor. Other activities such as preliminary design and drawing submittals also will occur, but will not require crews to work in the project corridor.

To support this work, the I-395 HOV lanes from the Edsall Road area to Boundary Channel Drive will be closed during late-night periods next week, weather permitting, as follows:

• March 8 to March 10 beginning at 8 p.m. until 4 a.m.
• March 10 to March 12 beginning at 11 p.m. until 10 a.m. on March 11 and 12, and until 4 a.m. on March 13

During these hours, all motorists traveling northbound on the 95 Express Lanes will be routed off to the regular lanes near Edsall Road. Southbound motorists in the I-395 HOV lanes will be routed off to the regular lanes near Boundary Channel Drive. There will be no access to and from the HOV lanes via the Eads Street interchange during these closures. The 95 Express Lanes south of the Edsall Road area will remain open and operating under the standard reversal schedule.

What area drivers and residents near the I-395 corridor should expect during the 395 Express Lanes Project early works phase:

• Any necessary lane closures will take place outside of rush hours and will be communicated to the traveling public in advance
• Project officials will provide information about early works activities to keep residents informed
• Permanent construction activities will not begin until summer 2017
• Drivers should travel with caution and remain vigilant for construction crew members both on I-395 and within nearby residential communities

The 395 Express Lanes project will extend the 95 Express Lanes for eight miles north on I-395 to the border of Washington, D.C. The project will convert the two high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to three high-occupancy or toll Express Lanes, allowing non-HOV travelers the option to pay a toll to access the roadway while maintaining free travel for transit and HOV-3 carpools. The project will also deliver additional corridor improvements including:

• A fourth southbound regular lane between Duke Street and Edsall Road
• Rehabilitation of five bridges over I-395
• Enhancements to the south Pentagon parking area to improve transit access and circulation

Project construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2017 with the Express Lanes opening in fall 2019. More information about the project is available at: www.virginiadot.org/395express and www.395expresslanes.com.