The Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban announced on May 21 that a new shared-use bicycle and pedestrian trail, part of the 495 Express Lanes Northern Extension project, is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, June 27.
The new two-and-a-half-mile trail runs parallel to Interstate 495 between Lewinsville Road and Live Oak Drive in McLean. It will provide a paved facility for bicyclists and pedestrians with connections to Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and Fairfax County Park Authority’s trail system. The path is located behind new noise walls, offering separated access across the Beltway at Lewinsville Road, Old Dominion Drive, and Georgetown Pike.
“The upcoming opening of the new bicycle and pedestrian trail parallel to I-495 in McLean marks a significant milestone in the 495 NEXT project,” said Michelle Shropshire, VDOT’s Northern Virginia Deputy District Engineer and Megaprojects Director. “While the new express lanes extension opened to traffic in November 2025, the new shared-use path is an important project feature that demonstrates VDOT’s ongoing commitment to delivering multimodal benefits as part of our express lanes projects.” Beau Memory, President of Transurban North America said: “We are excited to bring one more way our communities can connect via these new shared-use paths, delivering yet another travel choice to Northern Virginia. Providing accessibility to our outdoor spaces for walkers, bike riders and more supports our neighbors’ wellbeing and helps more people enjoy our region.”
To mark the opening day on June 27, VDOT and Transurban will host a free community event featuring a fun-run-style race covering nearly five kilometers along the newly completed route. The event begins at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve annex parking lot with parking available at Holy Trinity Church nearby. Entertainment will be provided before and after the run.
According to the official website, Virginia Department of Transportation manages one of the nation’s largest state highway systems by building, maintaining, planning for expansion needs since its beginnings as State Highway Commission in 1906; it provides services such as highway maintenance, traffic management through systems like Virginia 511; its headquarters are located at East Broad Street in Richmond.
A “kid friendly” run will also be offered later that morning for families attending.
