VDOT “ramping” up work near Courthouse Road. Expect detours.

Brought to us by VDOT:

FREDERICKSBURG –  The Virginia Department of Transportation will close the Interstate 95 southbound on-ramp from Courthouse Road in Stafford County next week to allow crews to finish work on the temporary ramp.

Beginning the evening of Monday, March 5, crews will close the existing on-ramp from Courthouse Road to I-95 southbound to begin milling and paving the temporary ramp.

The existing on-ramp will close overnight Monday, March 5 through Thursday, March 8 from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the following morning. Traffic will then be shifted onto the new, temporary ramp starting early Friday, March 9. The on-ramp is the only ramp affected with this work. Traffic can still exit to Courthouse Road from I-95 southbound on these evenings.

The on-ramp will remain open during the day. There will be no impacts to traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

Local traffic should use the most convenient alternate route to access I-95 southbound, including Route 1 to Exit 143/Garrisonville or Exit 136/Centreport Parkway. Detour signs will be placed along the interstate to guide drivers not familiar with the area.

The new ramp is parallel to the existing on-ramp. The temporary on-ramp is steeper than the existing one. Crews have extended the acceleration lane on I-95 southbound by approximately 600 feet to give drivers a longer distance to merge at interstate speeds.

Shifting traffic slightly onto the temporary ramp will provide space for crews to build bridge abutments as part of the new diverging diamond interchange. When construction is finished in 2020, traffic will enter and exit the interstate from new ramps branching off the relocated Courthouse Road.

Message boards and extra signage will be posted this week to warn motorists about the upcoming ramp closures and traffic shift.

Project Background

When the $185.3 million widening and interchange project is complete, Courthouse Road will intersect with Route 1 at Hospital Center Boulevard.

In summer 2020, Exit 140 will open with new bridges and ramps in a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). In a diverging diamond interchange, vehicles are briefly shifted to the opposite side of the road, controlled by traffic signals. The DDI improves safety by reducing the number of spots where vehicles could collide, and can handle more left-turn movements per hour, twice the capacity of a conventional interchange.

Additional project details are available online at www.virginiadot.org/exit140.

511Virginia

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