Fort Belvoir, Va. (March 6, 2014) - Construction continues on the ramp that will connect Fort Belvoir North commuters to I-95 south express lanes and regular northbound lanes.

"We're currently on schedule, looking to complete by Dec. 14 of this year," said Tim Brown, construction operations engineer for Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division, part of the Federal Highway Administration.

The FHA is managing the project in coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The ramp is set to open in early 2015, coinciding with the opening of the new I-95 express lanes.

"It's going to be beneficial to the employees that work at NGA (National Geospatial Agency). They'll be able to get on to I-95 a lot easier to go northbound, or they can enter the Express Lanes going southbound," Brown said.

As construction progresses, there will also be less lane closures during night construction, he added.

"The number of lane closures should be diminishing in our work zone going forward," Brown said.

The ramp will allow drivers from Fort Belvoir North to drive directly on to the I-95 South express lanes, or get right onto the regular I-95 northbound lanes, said Michelle Holland, VDOT Megaprojects communications manager.

The ramp's major benefit is connecting drivers to the I-95 southbound express lanes, she added.

"Rather than fighting traffic and getting onto the regular lanes on I-95, they're going to be able to benefit from the new express lanes by having direct access heading southbound," she said. "It's going to help them get to I-95 quicker and have a less stressful drive, and then it's going to benefit surrounding roads because there's going to be a little bit less traffic on them."

The I-95 Express Lane Project, provided by the VDOT and private partners, will convert current or high-occupancy vehicle lanes into express lanes by December of 2014 and open to traffic in early 2015, Holland said. The project goal is to provide a congestion-free commute for those using express lanes.

The express lanes are toll lanes, but vehicles with three or more people can use the lanes for free, as HOV lanes, Holland said.

Otherwise, drivers who want to take the lanes must be prepared to pay the toll.

"It's dynamic tolling, and the toll changes depending on the amount of traffic congestion," Holland said. "They do that so that they can manage the demand for it and always keep it free-flowing. The idea is that they want to guarantee drivers that they'll have a congestion-free trip."

When the ramp first opens, it will only be open during the afternoon rush hours, Holland said.

In the future, if funding permits, the ramp will be modified so that northbound drivers on the express lanes can take an exit for Fort Belvoir North, she added.

"Right now, it will it only be available for the express lanes heading south or the regular I-95 lanes heading north, but should funding become available in the future, they will do some modifications and then it would open up in the morning to get drivers that are heading north on I-95 into Fort Belvoir," she said.

Find more information on the I-95 Express Lanes project, visit www.VAmegaprojects.com or www.95expresslanes.com.

Other traffic projects

Another I-95 express lane ramp at Alban Road will give drivers easier access to Fort Belvoir's main post, once construction is complete, Holland said.

The ramp is part of the I-95 Express Lanes Project, which is a public-private partnership between VDOT and private partners Transurban and Fluor.

"If they take express lanes heading into Fort Belvoir (main post), they can take a new flyover ramp that we're building at Alban Road. It takes them directly from the express lanes onto Alban Road. They would then take Fairfax County Parkway from Alban Road to get to Fort Belvoir," she said.

The Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division is also scheduled to expand the part of Route 1 that runs through Fort Belvoir from four to six lanes and include a transit corridor, in coordination with VDOT, Holland said.

"They're widening it from four lanes to six lanes and that is going to happen from Telegraph Road to the Mount Vernon Highway and Mulligan Road intersection. Construction is going to start on that this spring, and it's estimated to be completed in February 2016," Holland said.

"In the section, we'll have upgraded sidewalks," she added. "It's going to provide really nice access."

Route 1 Multimodal Transportation Alternatives Analysis Team is holding meetings to examine transportation options for Route 1, in order to gather feedback about traffic patterns from area residents, workers and commuters.

The next Route 1 public meeting will be March 26, 6-8 p.m., at the South County Government Center in Room 221, at 8350 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Va.

For more information, visit www.Route1MultimodalAA.com.