Shirley’s Big Beam Weekend on the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) Project

In late January of 2025, crews worked 54 consecutive hours over a single “Big Beam Weekend” to install 10 massive girders across Interstate 495 in Virginia, with the largest girder spanning 295 feet. This impressive work is a key part of the comprehensive I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project, a public-private partnership between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Transurban. The project will alleviate congestion and enhance safety for one of the nation’s busiest highways through a two-and-a-half-mile extension of the express lanes from the Dulles Corridor to the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Check out the LinkedIn video below to view the project during “Big Beam Weekend”.