Northbound portion of the Rappahannock River crossing set to begin

The Commonwealth Transportation Board has awarded a contract to begin construction on a project that will add northbound travel lanes to Interstate 95. The objective is to reduce driver delays in the Fredericksburg area between two of the busiest interchanges in the region.

The project contract was awarded to Wagman Heavy Civil, Inc., of York, Pa. Wagman was awarded $107.5 million to use for the project.

The I-95 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing project will add three additional travel lanes between exit 130 (Route 3) in the City of Fredericksburg and exit 133 (Route 17) in Stafford County, and will build a new bridge span over the Rappahannock River.

New lanes will be built parallel to the existing northbound 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 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing will complement a similar project under construction on I-95 southbound in the Fredericksburg area. The I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing, which will open to traffic in spring 2022, is adding three southbound lanes and a new river span in the I-95 median between the Route 17 and Route 3 interchanges.

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.

Several features will be built along with the new northbound lanes as part of the I-95 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing, which is estimated to open to traffic in spring 2024:

• A fourth I-95 northbound auxiliary lane from exit 133 (Route 17) to exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) in Stafford
• A sidewalk underneath the I-95 overpasses of Route 17 in Stafford, which will link residential neighborhoods east of I-95 with commercial destinations west of I-95, providing safe passage for pedestrians to walk travel between home, work, and businesses
• Replacement of the I-95 northbound collector-distributor bridge that carries traffic to and from the exit 133 (Route 17) interchange, which will eliminate a lower-clearance bridge frequently struck by tractor-trailers and oversized vehicles
• Two new traffic signals at Route 17 which will be installed to improve traffic flow and enhance safety through the interchange by reducing vehicle merging and weaving. The new interchange pattern will operate similarly to recent safety improvements at exit 130 (Route 3).