Third lane for US 50 widening project will start opening eastbound late tonight, Aug. 26

By Thursday, August 28, drivers on US 50 will have three lanes eastbound between Poland Road in Loudoun County and VA 28 in Fairfax County.

The opening of the third lane will be done in two phases.

The lane will open from Pleasant Valley Road in Fairfax County to Stonecroft Boulevard by 5 a.m. Wednesday, August 27.

It will then open from Poland Road in Loudoun County to Pleasant Valley in Fairfax by 5 a.m. Thursday, August 28.

Doing so should provide significant relief to morning rush hour congestion, particularly with local schools starting on September 2, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Three lanes have been open to eastbound traffic from Stonecroft to Lee Road since the project began.

Crews plan to open a third lane to westbound traffic from the Cub Run Bridge to Poland Road by the end of this year.

US 50 is being widened to three lanes in each direction from Poland Road to VA 28. The project also includes traffic signal and turn lane improvements, installing a shared-use path on both sides of the road, providing crosswalks with curb ramps and pedestrian signals, and widening and upgrading bridges. The overall project completion date is November 2015.

Project information: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/route_50_widening.asp