Ribbon-cutting for the new Jones Branch Connector in Tysons. Photo courtesy of VDOT
The Virginia Department of Transportation and Fairfax County celebrated a joint effort Thursday, March 5, to construct a crucial new link for drivers, transit users, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Scotts Crossing Road, a half-mile of new roadway and bridges over the Capital Beltway from Jones Branch Drive to Route 123, is now fully open, including two travel lanes, a bicycle lane and lighted sidewalk in each direction, to improve access to destinations such as the I-495 Express Lanes and McLean Metro Station. A wide, raised median is also reserved to accommodate future transit.
By providing an alternate route across the Beltway and linking the Tysons East and Central areas, the project is expected to relieve traffic along Route 123, at the Route 123/I-495 interchange and at other intersections, said Helen Cuervo, P.E., VDOT’s Northern Virginia district engineer. Scotts Crossing Road is expected to carry more than 21,000 vehicles a day this year and more than 32,000 by 2040.
“This project provides much needed connectivity and additional access for all commuters,” said Cuervo.
“The completion of the Jones Branch Connector marks a milestone in our collaborative efforts to improve our transportation network to support the growth of Tysons,” said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey C. McKay. “This project helps us move more people more efficiently and continues to build upon a grid of streets that encourages the use of multi-modal transportation alternatives.”
Fairfax County led design and development of the project, while VDOT broke ground in 2017 to administer construction. In December 2018, the new crossing opened to one lane of traffic in each direction, providing a direct connection from Jones Branch Drive to Route 123 for the first time. Final detail work on the project will occur this month without major traffic impacts.
Archer Western Construction LLC is the contractor for the $60.2 million project, which is financed with federal, state and county funds.
This is the first Tysons-wide project in the Tysons Comprehensive Plan Amendment, approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2010, to be completed.