FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — For years, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has worked to fix one of the worst bottlenecks on the east coast.
According to VDOT, approximately 150,000 cars travel over the Rappahannock River portion of I-95 every day. That gridlock, especially during rush hour, has frustrated drivers for years.
In 2018, crews first broke ground on the Rappahannock River Crossing Project. In 2021, three new southbound lanes and a new bridge opened for drivers.
Now, one week before the Thanksgiving travel rush, VDOT is opening three additional lanes and a bridge on the northbound side. That part of the project is a month ahead of schedule. Those additional lanes will allow for a significant amount of more traffic over the Rappahannock.
"We've got 12 lanes, six in each direction going across the Rappahannock River now," said Robert Ridgell with VDOT, who has been leading this project from the start.
Crews will start the work to shift traffic from Nov. 12-18. That work may impact some drivers, especially during the overnight hours.
Just like the southbound lanes that opened two years ago, drivers headed north will be separated by local and through lanes. Travelers will need to make that decision before the lane divide.
"That's going to be precious minutes given back to all those through travelers heading northbound," said Ridgell.
Without mixing that local and through traffic, experts say it will help alleviate the bottleneck issue along this stretch of road. VDOT says after some final paving work in Spring 2024, the entire project will be complete.