STAFFORD COUNTY — (Press Release) A section of Courthouse Road near Interstate 95 will be closed next weekend to allow crews to open a new intersection with Austin Ridge Drive, and to activate two new traffic signals.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, through 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, Courthouse Road will close to all traffic between Mine Road and Austin Ridge Drive. This will allow crews to finish construction activities to open a new intersection with Austin Ridge Drive west of the current intersection. A traffic signal at the new intersection of Courthouse Road and Austin Ridge Drive will be activated before the morning rush hour on Monday, Aug. 5.
View an online map of the Austin Ridge Drive realignment at Courthouse Road.
A second new traffic signal will be activated at the realigned Winding Creek Road and Ramoth Church Road intersection with Courthouse Road. This signal will be activated and placed into full-color operation before the morning rush hour on Monday, Aug. 5.
Work has been scheduled weather permitting. If weather postpones the detour and signal activation, new dates will be announced.
The improvements are part of a $195 million Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project near the Exit 140 interchange on I-95. The project is widening Courthouse Road from two lanes to four lanes between Route 1 and just west of Ramoth Church Road. Other project elements include rebuilding the Exit 140 interchange at I-95 as a diverging diamond, and expanding commuter parking.
The project is currently two-thirds complete, with a year of construction remaining through July 31, 2020.
Courthouse Road Weekend Detour
Friday, Aug. 2 – Monday, Aug. 5
At 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, Courthouse Road will close between Austin Ridge Drive and Mine Road. All lanes and ramps on I-95 will remain open throughout the weekend. Emergency response vehicles and residents living on Courthouse Road between Mine Road and Austin Ridge Drive will be permitted to pass through the work zone to access driveways during the closure from the Mine Road intersection only. All other traffic must use the posted detour route.
Signs will guide motorists along the posted detour route:
· Austin Ridge Drive
· Shields Road
· Mine Road
View an online map of the detour route.
Courthouse Road will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.
Message boards will be posted to give drivers advance notice of the road closure and detour.
Motorists are asked to use caution while traveling in the work zone and along the detour route. The speed limit on Shields Road, a residential area, is 25 mph.
Project Background
Construction on the $195 million widening and interchange project began in July 2017.
As construction continues this fall, drivers should be alert for traffic shifts and temporary traffic patterns along the Courthouse Road corridor. Courthouse Road will remain two lanes during construction. Eastbound and westbound traffic may be split to the outside lanes at times to allow crews to work in the median.
The diverging diamond interchange (DDI) is anticipated to partially open to traffic in December 2019, with all work completed across the project by July 31, 2020.
To learn more, please visit the project page at www.VirginiaDOT.org/Exit140 and VDOT’s innovative intersections and interchanges page on diverging diamond interchanges (DDI).
