Commuters along the Interstate 95 corridor in Stafford County will soon have another 10 miles of 95 Express Lanes to travel. The lanes, which will help relieve congestion through Stafford County and Fredericksburg, open August 18.
The extension of the lanes will pick up just after Route 610/Garrisonville Road and extend to near Route 17/Warrenton Road, according to the Express Lanes website.
Amanda Baxter, senior vice president for Virginia Market & Operations for Transurban North America, said in a news release that the lanes will provide 66 percent more capacity during peak periods and move 30 percent more people.
The Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban, the operator of the toll lanes, will hold a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, August 16 for the $670 million public-private partnership project.
The two reversible lanes are projected to open southbound at 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 17, while the northbound lanes are expected to open the following morning.
According to VDOT, the highway project will generate $1 billion in economic activity.
“This extension provides 10 miles of new interstate capacity to consistently move people and goods between the Richmond and Northern Virginia regions and delivers new ridesharing opportunities for people living and working in the Fredericksburg region,” said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich, in a release. “While more construction is ahead to fully realize the entire scope of the project’s benefits, opening the facility to through travelers this summer will provide immediate congestion relief and time savings.”
The second phase of the project will add new on and off ramps to the extension. “In Phase 2, the new Lanes will add access to near Marine Corps Base Quantico, direct access to Courthouse Road/Route 630, and an entry via the I-95 north local lanes near Route 17,” according to the Express Lanes website.
It’s anticipated those ramps will be finished later this year.
Feature image courtesy Express Lanes
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