Summer and fall travel safety tips

August 7, 2025

Quick and reliable travel is great, but only if you and your passengers get to your destination safe and sound. We want to help you get where you need to go as safely as possible, too.

Remember these tips and resources as you travel along our corridors this summer and fall. 

 

Construction season is underway

  • Work on the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project on I-495 in McLean is in full swing so we can open the Lanes to you later this year
  • Crews are focused on finishing the new Express Lanes in the median of the Beltway from the Dulles Corridor to the George Washington Memorial Parkway interchanges, as well as the connecting ramps to and from the new 2.5 mile stretch of Lanes
  • Expect more overnight work zone activity and watch out for construction vehicles entering and exiting from the left lane
  • Using extra caution, driving the speed limit and avoiding distractions are especially important when driving though the 495 NEXT work zone
  • Stay on top of construction activity by signing up for email alerts on the project website
  • Overnight closures for milling and paving work continue on the 395 and 95 Express Lanes, get the latest update here
  • All customers, especially motorcyclists, should use extra caution when merging between paved and unpaved lanes

 

Back to school brings new travel patterns and risks 

  • See ya summer. Students return to school in most districts in Northern Virginia in mid- or late-August
  • School schedules can mean new and unfamiliar routes, and new pressure to get to school and afterschool activities on time, leading us to be distracted or speed
  • Newer drivers and school buses are making their way around too, including on the Express Lanes
  • Stay extra alert in August and September as kiddos and their families gets used to their new routine
  • Check out these driver safety tips from our partners at VDOT and parents, remember these teen driver safety trips from our partners at DMV