9/11 Ride Will Impact Dulles Toll Road Friday Afternoon

If you are traveling on the Dulles Toll Road near Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday, be advised of some potential backups and closures due to America’s 9/11 Ride.

There will be lane closures between 2 and 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19 to accommodate the large procession of motorcycles through the region, says the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority.

The America’s 9/11 Ride is expecting about 1,500 motorcyclists to participate in a ride from Shanksville, Pa., to the Pentagon then to New York City.

On Friday, the group plans to travel eastbound from Leesburg along the Dulles Greenway, the Dulles Toll Road, the Dulles Airport Access Highway and Interstate 66 at the beginning of the afternoon commute.

Traffic procedures during the motorcycle procession will include:

Eastbound traffic leaving Dulles International Airport will have unimpeded access to the eastbound Dulles Airport Access Highway (all the way to I-495 and I-66) and Route 28 north and south, but not to the eastbound Dulles Toll Road. Access Highway traffic will share the road with the motorcycle procession east of Hunter Mill Road.

NOTE: local exits prior to Route 7 in Tysons will not be available from the Access Highway. Route 28 or Route 7 are the recommended alternates.

Traffic on Route 28 will not be able to exit to the eastbound Dulles Toll Road. Ramps to Dulles Airport and the Dulles Greenway will remain open.

Eastbound Traffic from the Dulles Greenway will merge to one lane to join the eastbound Dulles Toll Road. The motorcycle procession will occupy the closed lane.

The eastbound Dulles Toll Road will be divided in the center by cones. The two left lanes will be reserved for the motorcycle procession, while the two right lanes will be for local traffic.

All westbound lanes and ramps of the Dulles Access Highway and Dulles Toll Road will operate normally.

The motorcycle procession will come from the Dulles Greenway and travel the left side of the eastbound Dulles Toll Road for several miles. It will then cross to the right lane of the Dulles Access Highway and continue inside the beltway to I-66. The Virginia State Police will facilitate the movement of the procession from there.

The airport authority says all eastbound traffic in the Dulles corridor should plan extra travel time and expect delays.

Meanwhile, this is the last year of the ride after a clash between the event’s organizer and state governments, ARLnow.com reports.