New ramp from Route 28 to I-66 to open on Friday

A new, permanent ramp from Route 28 North to I-66 East will open on or about Friday morning, November 20. Drivers on Route 28 North will stay to the right to access I-66 East using the new ramp.

The new ramp is one of several major traffic pattern changes happening this year in the I-66 and Route 28 Interchange area as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.

Opening the new ramp will end use of the current, temporary ramp accessed from the left-most lanes of northbound Route 28. The temporary detour for Route 29 (Lee Highway) South drivers heading to I-66 East will also be lifted.

To implement this traffic pattern change, drivers should expect the following on Thursday night, November 19, weather permitting:

• Around 9 p.m. Thursday, November 19, northbound Route 28 between Old Centreville Road and I-66 will be reduced to one travel lane.
• Between midnight and 4 a.m. the ramp from Route 29 South to Route 28 North will be closed. To reach Route 28 North and/or I-66 East, traffic will be detoured farther south to the I-66/Route 29 Centreville
  Interchange, stay to the right and follow signs to I-66 East. Drivers heading to Route 28 North should stay to the right and follow signs to Route 28 North.

• Around midnight on Thursday night, November 19, the temporary ramp from the left side of Route 28 North to I-66 East will close. Traffic will continue north to Westfields Boulevard West, stay to the right for Route 28 South, then follow signs to I-66 East.

• Around 4 a.m. on Friday, November 20, the new, permanent ramp from Route 28 North to I-66 East will open. Drivers on northbound Route 28 will stay to the right to access the ramp to I-66 East. Drivers on southbound Route 29 traveling to I-66 East via Route 28 North will take the ramp to Route 28 North, and then stay to the right on the ramp/auxiliary lane to I-66 East.

Drivers should always use caution and pay attention to lane markings and roadway signs in construction work zones. All work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled if inclement conditions occur.

Over the next few weeks, drivers should expect additional changes at the interchange, including new ramps from I-66 West and Route 28 North to the new Braddock Road/Walney Road overpass, and the connecting of Walney Road and Braddock Road via the new overpass.

The new Route 28 and I-66 Interchange will improve traffic flow on I-66 and Route 28, and provide access to and from the future I-66 Express Lanes. The I-66 Outside the Beltway Express Lanes, which span from I-495 to Route 29 in Gainesville, are expected to open in December 2022.