LYNCHBURG, Va. – Drivers who travel the Lynchburg Expressway near Candlers Mountain Road are about to see major changes. The Virginia Department of Transportation is launching a multi-year rebuild project to fix the tight merges and short ramps that have made the stretch of highway one of the area’s most congested — and most dangerous.
What’s changing at the interchange
The project will replace the existing bridge over the expressway with a new, taller structure that meets current clearance requirements. Two loop ramps will be removed, eliminating the need for drivers to weave across lanes of traffic. On- and off-ramps will also be extended, giving drivers more room to safely accelerate onto the highway or decelerate when exiting.
Len Stevens, VDOT’s Lynchburg communications manager, said the problems at the interchange have been building for years.
“We have so many incidents there and it’s a challenge to get on to the freeway from that loop. We needed to make a change,” Stevens said.
The elevated bridge design will also create space for longer merge lanes to run beneath it.
A three-year timeline
The project is expected to take approximately three years to complete, with work beginning July 1, 2026. Crews will work in phases — driving piles, setting steel girders, pouring the bridge deck, adding railings, fixing drainage and relocating a waterline where necessary. Drivers should expect lane shifts and temporary traffic impacts as each phase of construction wraps up.
Stevens described what the finished project will look like for commuters.
“It’s going to take about three years for us to complete this project. When we’re done, we’re going to have a whole new bridge. We will be dismantling the current bridge which is too low and we’re going to be adding acceleration lanes,” Stevens said.
Impact on local businesses, Liberty University
The interchange sits near a dense commercial corridor, and the construction is expected to affect more than just daily commuters. Stevens said no one in the area will be untouched by the project.
“There are a lot of businesses there. This impacts them all. This is not far from Liberty University. There are many businesses around there and they’re certainly going to get an impact from this,” Stevens said.