Orange cones and frequent construction restricting lanes on I-395 through Alexandria are frustrating to commuters, but the work should relieve congestion and make a few areas safer.
One project is extending the I-395 Express Lanes about 8 miles north from the Turkeycock Run interchange (near Edsall Road) to near Eads Street in Arlington. The two HOV lanes that exist now are being changed to express lanes, and a third lane is being added.
Once the lanes open, vehicles with three or more people may use the Express Lanes free by setting their EZ Pass to HOV mode; cars with two or fewer people will be charged a toll.
Transurban, which built and operates the current I-95 Express Lanes, is handling this project. No existing “mainline” (or regular) lanes are being taken away from this project. It is expected to open later this fall, with construction being fully complete by next summer.
More info is available on the Transurban 395 Express Lanes webpage.
For commuters who travel on I-395 southbound beyond Duke Street, VDOT is constructing a fourth lane between Duke and Edsall Streets.
Currently, the roadway design creates bottlenecks in the Landmark area near the Duke Street exit and near the Edsall Road exits. When the construction is done, there will be four continuous lanes southbound. The lanes are considered part of the I-395 Express Lanes extension.
This project will also be opening later this year.