(Virginia DOT)Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Interstate 95 Express Lanes private partner and operator Transurban recently held a ground breaking ceremony for the I-395 Express Lanes expansion from Alexandria to Washington, D.C.
“Anyone who travels on I-395 and I-95 today can attest that this is one of the most congested corridors in the country,” says McAuliffe. “Today’s groundbreaking is the first project of the Commonwealth’s larger Atlantic Gateway Initiative which aims to unlock the I-95 Corridor. The Atlantic Gateway Initiative and the I-395 project demonstrate how we can work with our public and private partners to improve the quality of life for Virginians and our visitors – and keep our new Virginia economy growing.”
VDOT says the $500 million project includes “a long-term investment in transit for the corridor, through a yearly payment of $15 million (to be escalated annually) that will be paid by Transurban to the Commonwealth. This annual transit payment will support transit and multimodal initiatives benefitting the corridor.”
Key features of the project include adding a fourth regular lane on I-395 South between the Duke Street and Edsall Road Interchanges and rehabilitating several I-395 bridges, and building new sound walls to protect neighboring communities.
AECOM Engineering Company and Lane Construction are under contract to Transurban to design and build the extended I-395 Express Lanes, VDOT says, with the express lanes set to open in fall 2019 and other components of the project to be done by summer 2020.
“Today’s milestone is one more step toward expanding the express lanes network in Northern Virginia, and providing travelers with much-needed travel choices to reach their destinations faster,” says Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne. “The key benefit continues to be options, and we are ready to focus on delivering this new choice on 395.”
