VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Major travel delays are anticipated on Interstate 95 southbound in the Fredericksburg area from 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 through 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Lane closures are needed for 19 consecutive hours of milling, paving and lane striping to shift southbound traffic onto a new interstate overpass that spans Route 17 in Stafford County, just north of the Rappahannock River bridge.

I-95 southbound will be reduced to a single lane near Exit 133 (Route 17) for most of this work zone as crews shift traffic for the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project.

While this shift is underway, all I-95 southbound traffic will be stopped for 30-minute intervals between midnight and 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, near mile marker 134, north of Exit 133. Traffic will be stopped for motorist safety while crews to use a crane to place bridge beams for a new Route 652 (Truslow Road) overpass. This overpass construction is part of the 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project.

I-95 southbound travelers are strongly encouraged to choose an alternate route to avoid delays, especially for destinations outside the Fredericksburg area.

All lanes of I-95 northbound will remain open near Exit 133 during this traffic shift. Access to and from Route 17 at the Exit 133 interchange will remain open.

What Travelers Can Expect

I-95 southbound will be reduced to two travel lanes beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13. The work zone will begin south of Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) in Stafford, and will continue to the Rappahannock River bridge.

Traffic will be reduced to a single southbound lane at 9 p.m. Tuesday. I-95 southbound will remain reduced to a single lane until 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14.

View a map of this work zone.

When all I-95 southbound lanes reopen at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, traffic will be traveling over the new I-95 southbound overpass in the median of I-95, which will carry the future through travel lanes as part of the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing.

Watch a simulation video of this new traffic pattern.

In the event of inclement weather, this work zone will be rescheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

Additional I-95 Southbound Travel Delays Oct. 14-16

As part of a separate project, overnight I-95 southbound lane closures are scheduled next week between Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) and Exit 133 (Route 17) in Stafford to place bridge beams for the Truslow Road) overpass.

I-95 southbound travelers can also expect delays at the following dates and times:

Wednesday, Oct. 14 – Thursday, Oct. 15

• 9 p.m.– Single lane closure
• 10 p.m.– Double lane closure, with single lane of traffic diverted into temporary median lane for beam placement. View an online graphic of this traffic pattern.
• 4:30 a.m. – Two lanes open
• 10 a.m. – All lanes open

Thursday, Oct. 15 – Friday, Oct. 16

• 9 p.m.– Single lane closure
• 10 p.m.– Double lane closure, with single lane of traffic diverted into temporary median lane.  
• 4:30 a.m. – Two lanes open
• 10 a.m. – All lanes open

Improve 95 Program: Project Background

Several megaprojects are under construction to reduce congestion and improve reliability on I-95 in the Fredericksburg area.

Construction on the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing began in August 2018 and will be underway through May 2022.

The $132 million project is building three additional travel lanes between Exit 133 in Stafford and Exit 130 (Route 3) in Fredericksburg, and will build a new bridge span over the Rappahannock River.

New lanes are being built parallel to the existing southbound lanes in the median. With nearly 150,000 vehicles a day traveling on I-95 near the Rappahannock River, the new lanes will allow local traffic to travel along I-95 between interchanges separated from regional and interstate traffic traveling through the Fredericksburg area.

The I-95 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing project will build additional northbound travel lanes between the same interchanges. Preliminary construction activities began in summer 2020, and new lanes will open to traffic in early 2024.

Both Rappahannock River Crossing projects will connect with 95 Express Lanes, which are being extended over 10 additional miles in Stafford to the Route 17 area. The 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension is under construction and will open to traffic in late 2022.

For additional information, please visit the Improve 95 website.

Stay Updated

Real-time updates on bridge openings and traffic, incidents and work zones are available on 511Virginia.

Download the free mobile 511Virginia app or visit www.511Virginia.org. Motorists also can reach 511Virginia by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.

Follow VDOT Fredericksburg District on Twitter at @VaDOTFRED.

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VDOT’s 14-county Fredericksburg District includes the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford in the Fredericksburg area; Northumberland, Richmond, Lancaster and Westmoreland counties in the Northern Neck; Essex, Gloucester, King & Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex counties in the Middle Peninsula.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.