Headaches on the horizon

Little River Turnpike
The Virginia Department of Transportation says it plans to shift all lanes of traffic to the new Little River Turnpike (Route 236) bridge over the Capital Beltway starting at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Watch for delays approaching the interchange on Thursday as crews prepare for the work. The shift should be done by 5 a.m. Friday.

For the next 18 months, motorists will have two westbound lanes on the bridge rather than three lanes. Drivers coming from the inner loop (Interstate 495 North) and heading for the westbound Little River Turnpike will have to yield, because there won't be a merge area.

Once traffic is on the new bridge, night work begins to demolish the old one. Lane closures and detours will occur throughout the spring and summer. Once the demolition is complete, work will begin on a new westbound bridge.

This is the pattern we'll see all year on the HOT lanes project: The first set of new Beltway bridges will be completed. Traffic will be shifted onto them, and reconstruction will begin on the adjacent set of old bridges.