A plan to extend toll lanes along an 11-mile stretch of the south side of the Capital Beltway is on hold, after the D.C. region鈥檚 Transportation Planning Board voted Wednesday to revisit the project next year.
The board, which includes members from Maryland, D.C. and Virginia local governments, faced a decision whether to include the proposal in the. Projects have to be included in that long-term plan to be eligible for federal funding.
But leaders said it can be added in the coming years, as they hope to work toward a consensus on what the project has to look like in order to move forward.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not ready,鈥� Prince George鈥檚 County Council member Eric Olson said. 鈥淚t’s not even close to being ready.鈥�
Virginia鈥檚 Department of Transportation has touted the project as essential to improving commute times across the region.
In a statement to 91欧美激情, VDOT said the vote will allow the state to continue its work on the project and resubmit it in 2026 to be included in the transportation plan.
“These transportation improvements will provide near-term benefits and improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who rely on the I-495 Southside corridor each day, as well as the surrounding residents and communities,” a spokesperson from the agency wrote.
The plan includes two express lanes in each direction, starting on the western end near the Springfield interchange.
The proposed toll lanes would then continue eastward across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the 295 interchange, and there would be one express lane in each direction for the remaining portion of the project to the Maryland Route 210 interchange.
The plan includes over 7 miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and a VDOT analysis found 2,400 more people would be moved during peak hours.
Though the idea gained support from some Northern Virginia leaders, it faced opposition from state lawmakers and Maryland officials. Some had unanswered questions about the traffic impact to local streets, and whether the proposal would allow for a Metro extension across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
鈥淲e need to build consensus with the entire region,鈥� Virginia State Sen. Jennifer Boysko said. 鈥淚f it had gone for a vote, an up-or-down vote on the project today, it would not have passed. Therefore, we felt it was most prudent to move it forward by delaying yet again.鈥�
The board鈥檚 approved action directs VDOT to create a report to describe the efforts needed to reach a consensus and how to move forward. Local leaders are hoping to receive the report next year.
鈥淭he reality is, these types of big projects, none of them are easy,鈥� Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all contentious. They involve a lot of moving parts, in this case, multiple jurisdictions. But that鈥檚 the job of government. That鈥檚 what we do.鈥�
During the public comment portion of Wednesday鈥檚 meeting, speakers overwhelmingly urged the board to oppose advancing the toll lane project.
Katrena Moody, for one, said the decision 鈥渋s being drawn out longer than it should be, because everything is going to bottom out in Maryland, and that has a strong effect on the people in Maryland, as far as traffic backing up, costing more money there.鈥�
Earlier this month, several Maryland state lawmakers wrote a letter to acting Transportation Secretary Samantha Biddle highlighting equity and environmental concerns.
Jason Stanford, president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, said many people recognize the corridor is 鈥渆xtremely vital for our region, and that we need to have a path forward to helping people who are stuck in traffic, day in and day out, and I think this gives us an opportunity to continue that conversation.鈥�
The project is 鈥渘ot dead,鈥� Alcorn said, and it can be added to the necessary plan that will make it eligible for federal funding at a future time.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone should think about this project as being on the five-yard line,鈥� D.C. Council member Matthew Frumin said. 鈥淭here is a lot for work to do before we come up with a solution for this corridor that can work for everyone.鈥�
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