New bridge opening; Heavy traffic expected on I-95 in Fredericksburg

Interstate 95 northbound travelers planning to pass through the Fredericksburg area between 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, are advised to use alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic and major delays expected from Improve 95 project construction.

Lane closures and temporary traffic patterns are needed over nearly 36 hours on Dec. 5-7 to support the opening of a new interstate bridge over the Rappahannock River. The new bridge is located at mile marker 132, between the City of Fredericksburg and Stafford County.

Heavy congestion is anticipated to start north of I-95 exit 118 (Thornburg) in Spotsylvania County. Northbound I-95 travelers with destinations north of the Washington, D.C, area, should detour at exit 104 (Carmel Church) in Caroline County, and travel Route 207 eastbound to Route 301 northbound to avoid delay. Overhead message boards on interstates 95, 85, 295 and 64 in Virginia will direct through travelers to use this alternate route.

Work zone details include:

5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 – Single lane of I-95 northbound closed, starting north of exit 130 (Route 3) in Fredericksburg

7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 – Two lanes closed

4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 – All lanes open, but in a temporary pattern. Two lanes will cross the new interstate bridge. A single lane crosses the existing Rappahannock River bridge, providing access to exit 133 (Route 17) and continuing to points north.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 – Single lane closed. Exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) off-ramp in Stafford closed. Alternate exit to access Route 17 is exit 136 (Centreport Parkway) in Stafford.

4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 – All lanes open, and exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) reopens. Northbound traffic exiting to exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) will use temporary off-ramp beginning at mile marker 131, crossing the existing Rappahannock River bridge.

View a day-by-day timeline of this work zone plan.

Weather conditions may postpone this work. If delayed, the work zone may occur on Dec. 6-8 or Dec. 7-9, or if postponed to the following week, on either Dec. 12-14, Dec. 13-15, or Dec. 14-16.

No travel impacts are anticipated for I-95 southbound in the Fredericksburg area during this work zone. All interstate on- and off-ramps will remain open in the Fredericksburg area except for the northbound off-ramp to exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton), which will close from 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6 until 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Virginia State Police personnel will be staged at multiple points in the work zone to assist with traffic control. Heavy-duty towing equipment will be prepositioned to assist with quick incident clearance and removal of disabled vehicles.

Opening this interstate bridge is a milestone for the I-95 Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing project. The $132 million project is adding three additional travel lanes on the busiest segment of I-95 in the Fredericksburg area, which carries around 150,000 vehicles a day.

While the bridge is scheduled to open in December, the project will not be complete until spring 2024. Construction will continue over the next 18 months to finish the local travel lanes and to perform maintenance on the existing northbound Rappahannock River bridge while it is closed.