The ramp onto Interstate 66 east in Centreville, Virginia, could be closed for four months — part of a $3.7 billion transportation improvement project that includes demolition of I-66 bridges over U.S. Route 29.
The closure of the I-66 east ramp from U.S. Route 29 north starts Thursday night.
A detour announced by the Virginia Department of Transportation involves drivers continuing not much farther along the road than usual, past the closed left turn ramp, and making a U-turn to enter the highway from southbound U.S. 29.
“Drivers should go the way they feel most comfortable. If that’s the detour, go for it,” WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine advised.
Another way to get around? Getting onto the highway from nearby U.S. Route 28 also works.
“Route 28 will probably work better in the long run, especially in the short term, as drivers adjust,” Dildine said.
The closure is part of the Transform 66 Project that involves demolishing and rebuilding the I-66 bridges over Route 29 to widen, lengthen and raise them to create room for Express Lanes and future mass transit.
This is the second recent ramp closure at that interchange, and if what happened last time is any indication, traffic might be tied up in the area longer than the more typical driver adjustment time of two or three days.
“It took a matter of weeks for drivers to adjust to the last ramp closure at the (Route) 29- (I)-66 interchange,” Dildine said.
