Major I-95 Northbound delay in Fredericksburg expected

Travelers headed northbound on Interstate 95 will encounter major travel delays in the Fredericksburg area on Monday, July 13 through early Tuesday, July 14.

Lane closures are needed for 19 consecutive hours of milling, paving and lane striping to shift northbound traffic onto a new interstate overpass that spans Route 17 in Stafford County.

Northbound motorists can expect lane closures from 9 a.m. Monday, July 13 through 4 a.m. Tuesday, July 14 near Exit 133 (Route 17).

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

What Travelers Can Expect

I-95 northbound will be reduced to two travel lanes beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 13. The work zone will begin near the Rappahannock River bridge, which is located between the City of Fredericksburg and Stafford. Click here to view an online map of the work zone.

Two travel lanes will remain open. Northbound traffic will be directed to use the ramp to Exit 133, also known as a collector-distributor lane, and a single northbound travel lane.

When all I-95 northbound lanes reopen at 4 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, traffic will begin traveling over the new Route 17 overpass.

All lanes of I-95 southbound will remain open near Exit 133.

In the event of inclement weather, this work zone will be rescheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 14 to 4 a.m. Wednesday, July 15.

Entrance Ramp Closures at Exit 133 (Route 17)

The entrance ramps to I-95 northbound from Route 17 will be temporarily closed from 9 a.m. Monday, July 13 through 4 a.m. Tuesday, July 14:

Entrance ramp from Route 17 southbound to I-95 northbound
Entrance ramp from Route 17 northbound to I-95 northbound

Traffic on I-95 northbound will be able to exit to Route 17 northbound and southbound during the work zone.

Message boards will be posted on Route 17 and Route 1 to direct motorists to use Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) to access I-95 northbound.

All I-95 southbound entrance and exit ramps at Exit 133 will also remain open.

What’s Being Done

Since September 2019, all three lanes of I-95 northbound near Exit 133 have been traveling in temporary lanes in the median, parallel to the interstate.

Over 19 hours on July 13-14, crews will mill and remove up to 20 inches of pavement, and then pave a half-mile of new roadway connecting traffic with the new overpass.

After an analysis of recent traffic volumes, these extended lane closures were scheduled for a weekday to avoid peak weekend congestion experienced in the Fredericksburg area during summer months.

To encourage travelers to use an alternate routes, VDOT will:

Lift lane closures on Route 1 northbound in the Fredericksburg area during the work zone, and along Route 207 northbound in Caroline County and Route 301 northbound in Caroline and King George counties

Adjust signal timing on these alternate routes to meet additional demand

Use overhead message boards to make motorists aware of lane closures ahead at Fredericksburg, and encourage travelers to use Exit 104 (Carmel Church) on I-95 to travel along Route 207 and Route 301

Stay Updated with real-time updates on this work zone, lane closures and congestion will be available on 511Virginia

Project Background

The I-95 northbound overpass at Route 17 was replaced as part of the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project.

Construction on the 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. Construction will begin in late 2020-early 2021 and 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.