Jones Branch Connector Fully Opens In Tysons

TYSONS, VA — The Jones Branch Connector, a half-mile portion of road and bridges connecting Jones Branch Drive and Route 123, has fully opened in Tysons. Officials say the new connection will address congestion in the busy area.

The Jones Branch Connector, officially named Scotts Crossing Road, has two travel lanes, a bicycle lane and sidewalk in each direction. By connecting Jones Branch Drive and Route 123 with a bridge over the Capital Beltway, it's designed to boost access to the McLean Metro Station, I-495 Express Lanes and other places. It could also provide traffic relief on Route 123, the Route 123 and Capital Beltway interchange and other intersections. The Virginia Department of Transportation expects it to see over 21,000 vehicles daily.

The Jones Branch Connector partially opened in December 2018 with one lane of traffic in each direction. Final detail work will happen in March, but major traffic impacts aren't expected.

The connector is the first Tysons-wide project to be completed in Fairfax County's 2010 Tysons Comprehensive Plan Amendment. The plan accounts for the four Silver Line stations and future growth largely around those stations.

At a ribbon cutting event Thursday, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the Jones Branch Connector doesn't solve all Tysons gridlock, but it's a "huge part of making that puzzle of Tysons Corner work."

"The completion of the Jones Branch Connector marks a milestone in our collaborative efforts to improve our transportation network to support the growth of Tysons," said McKay in a statement. "This project helps us move more people more efficiently and continues to build upon a grid of streets that encourages the use of multi-modal transportation alternatives."

The total project cost was $60.2 million and had federal, state and Fairfax County funding. The project was a joint effort of VDOT and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation.

A separate Fairfax County Department of Transportation study is looking at options to improve traffic conditions on Dolley Madison Boulevard (Route 123) between the Dulles Toll Road and Old Dominion Drive. In 2019, officials presented possible short-term and long-term improvements for the road connecting McLean and Tysons.