I-95 E-ZPass lanes extension to Fredericksburg delayed 1 year

Drivers will have to wait about a year longer for E-ZPass Express Lanse to Fredericksburg.

Transurban, operator of E-ZPass Express Lanes on Interstates 495, 95, and 395, on Monday, May 2, announced a revised opening date of late 2023 for the Fredericksburg extension of the I-95 E-ZPass Express Lanes from North Stafford south to the Rappahannock River, known internally the as Fred Ex project.

Supply chain issues and Potomac Formation soils (Light-gray to pinkish- and greenish-gray quartzo-feldspathic sand found in Virginia from Fairfax to Richmond) have caused problems for construction crews.

The project, which was initially scheduled to be complete by December, is 60% complete. A new Truslow Road Bridge near Route 17 has been completed. Reconstruction of the American Legion Road overpass near the Stafford Regional Airport and several new fly-over ramps are underway.

“The design, construction, and delivery of mega-infrastructure projects are always complex,” said Amanda Baxter, Vice President, Virginia Market & Operations for Transurban North America. “I am pleased to see the power of partnership come together to resolve challenges and find a path forward in the best interest of the Commonwealth, its travelers, and communities. This project is crucial to keeping people moving along I-95, and we’re focused on delivering it as soon as possible.”

“We appreciate that the project team has arrived at an outcome that benefits the people most affected by this megaproject – the travelers on I-95,” said Marcie Parker, VDOT Fredericksburg District Engineer. “We will continue in our oversight role to ensure that the project is delivered safely, is built with quality, and is completed as soon as possible.”

When complete, the project will deliver two new reversible high-occupancy toll lanes, seven new bridges, and new access points to Route 17, Old Courthouse Road, and Marine Corps Base Quantico, where more than 28,000 people live and work. According to Transurban, the new E-ZPass Express Lanes will provide 66% more capacity during peak periods and will move 30% more people and 23% more vehicles, helping reduce congestion along with one of the state’s worst traffic hot spots.

It is anticipated to generate $1 billion in economic activity and 9,100 jobs during construction. When complete, the new lanes will create a 49-mile system of reversible I-95 E-ZPass Express Lanes between the Rappahannock River in Stafford County and the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

The initial stretch of I-95 E-ZPass Express Lanes, which included a conversion of the existing HOV lanes on I-95, and an extension to Garrisonville Road in North Stafford, opened in 2014.

The extension is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and Transurban. Transurban and Transurban’s design-build partner, a joint venture between Branch Civil and Flatiron Construction (BFJV), began construction in 2019 of the 10-mile extension that will increase capacity and improve access to growing employment centers along this heavily traveled segment of I-95.