New Ramp Opening: I-495 East (Outer Loop) to I-95 South
Opening of New Beltway Ramp at Mixing Bowl Postponed until Friday, Now Open
View Detailed Map of project area [PDF 281 KB]
Weather permitting the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is planning to open the new ramp from the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway to I-95 South on Friday morning, Dec 15.
Local Springfield Motorists Note Change: When the new ramp opens, the old ramp that was going to remain open for local traffic to Exit 169B/A, Old Keene Mill/Franconia Road, Route 644, will close temporarily, for about six months, to allow for construction work in the local ramp area. The local ramp was to remain open until later December or January when work in local ramp was scheduled to begin. The work schedule has been moved up and it will close when the new ramp opens on Friday morning.
Local motorists heading to the Springfield area will ride the new ramp about half-way around where they will have a slip ramp on the right to reach Exit 169B/A. The only traffic local motorists will meet on the right as they take the slip ramp is all local exiting traffic from Washington, DC (I-395 South) and from the Beltway Inner Loop (I-495 West.)
Outer Loop motorists are cautioned to slow down in the new ramp exit area to become familiar with the new traffic patterns: new ramp left side: 2 lanes heading onto I-395/95 South and one lane on the right for local traffic leading to the slip ramp to exit at Springfield. Pay attention…motorists accidentally taking the wrong ramp will not be able to change lanes as barriers are in place preventing lane changes.
The opening of the new ramp represents a major safety improvement separating local and long distance motorists doing away with the accident prone area where local and long distance motorists had to weave and merge. Traffic from the Outer Loop heading to I-95 South had to weave and merge to the left as local Springfield area traffic from the Washington, DC area, I-395 South, had to weave and merge to the right to exit.