ALEXANDRIA— On Friday night, July 16,  lanes will be shifted on I-495 north 3/4–mile before Braddock Road (Route 620)  where this portion of the beltway will be reduced from five to four lanes, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The traffic shift will be in place until late December 2010 to allow crews to rebuild and install new pavement as part of the Capital Beltway High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes project.

At 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, crews will begin to re-stripe pavement and place barriers. Three lanes will be closed on I-495 north and one lane will be open. The new traffic pattern will be in place by 9 a.m. Saturday, July 17. The exit ramp merge to Braddock Road will be shorter. Should inclement weather cancel this work it will be rescheduled for Saturday night, July 17.

Motorists should expect delays approaching the interchange during peak travel periods as traffic adjusts to the new pattern.

This work was originally scheduled for July 9 but was canceled due to inclement weather.

About the HOT Lanes Project: Bridge work is underway at 12 of the Capital Beltway’s interchanges inside the HOT Lanes Project work zone between the Springfield Interchange and just north of the Dulles Toll Road. These new bridges and interchange connections are part of the $260 million infrastructure replacement in support of the $1.4 billion Capital Beltway HOT Lanes project.  The project is on schedule for completion by early 2013.