The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) opened a 2-mile extension of I-95 Express Lanes in Stafford County, adding new northbound and southbound ramps ahead of schedule.
The $50 million project extends Express Lanes beyond the flyover ramp where they previously ended, just north of Rte. 610. Virginia is investing more than $800 million over the next five years on I-95 projects in the Fredericksburg region. Six I-95 projects are expected to open to traffic in the Fredericksburg area by the end of 2022 to deliver relief and improved driving conditions.
Using the new extension, I-95 northbound traffic will be able to enter Express Lanes earlier at a new left entrance before the Garrisonville Road overpass. Southbound Express Lanes traffic heading to Fredericksburg will be able to continue past Garrisonville and merge about 1 mile south of Garrisonville Road.
Construction on the extension began in July 2016. The project is a joint investment by VDOT and Transurban, which operates the existing 29-mile Express Lanes facility that opened in December 2014, and will be responsible for maintenance and operations of the 2-mile extension.
Around 146,000 vehicles a day travel I-95 near Garrisonville Road. A separate project is under development to extend Express Lanes by an additional 10 miles.
Partial project funding for the I-95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension was included in the Atlantic Gateway grant application. Virginia was awarded a $165 million FASTLANE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2016 for Atlantic Gateway, and a $1.4 billion package of highway, transit and rail projects in the I-95 corridor.
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Source: Fairfax News
