A last gap between towering structures at the Springfield Interchange is shrinking, piece by piece.
On the night of Saturday, Aug. 23, the northbound lanes of I-95 were closed and workers successfully lifted and bolted the first three 100-ton beams into place. The procedure went on without a hitch, according to Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson Steve Titunik.
"The weather was great and these guys are professionals," Titunik said.
Initially, traffic was backed up to around the Dale City exit on I-95. But by midnight, the amount of traffic decreased and VDOT had the detour going smoothly so the backup was minimal, said Titunik.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26 through Thursday, Aug. 28, only the far right lane of I-95 was open between 10:30 p.m. and 5 a.m., while workers put in cross-members that gave the beams additional support. If the weather holds out, VDOT will close the highway again from Saturday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m. to Sunday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m., while they install additional beams.
Later in September, the final beams of that overpass will be put up as well, but that work will be done with minimum interruption since it isn't directly over an operating roadway. VDOT may close one lane on the ramp from I-95 north to I-495 towards Baltimore for that work, but that decision will be made at a later date.