Interstate 495/270 Widening and Legion Bridge Replacement Project

delayed

The project involves widening the Interstate 495 (Beltway) and Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, Maryland, including rebuilding and adding a new span to the American Legion Bridge to increase capacity to 12 lanes. The project was initiated by former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in 2014 to address heavy congestion and insufficient road capacity. It includes a public-private partnership to add high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. Virginia has agreed to extend the Beltway's HOT lanes to the Legion Bridge and widen them to 12 lanes to match Maryland's plans. The project faced opposition and delays due to political and federal agency decisions, and the original contractor Fluor/Transurban pulled out in early 2023. Maryland's request for federal grant funding was rejected, leaving the project unfunded and stalled, while Virginia's portion is progressing.