STAFFORD, Va. — The 10-mile extension of the Express Lanes on I-95 in Virginia is set to open in less than two weeks. The project between Virginia Department of Transportation and Transurban North America has been in the works for the last four years.
VDOT announced Thursday that the new lanes will open southbound at 10 p.m. Thursday, August 17. A ribbon cutting will be held the morning of August 16.
Crews are now putting the finishing touches on the road that will allow drivers to quickly travel from Fredericksburg to Northern Virginia. The extension picks up where the existing lanes end in Stafford at Route 610, and extends all the way to Route 17 in Fredericksburg.
"We want to do the best we can to open up that travel and really unlock gridlock in one of the fastest growing places on 95," said Mike McGurk, spokesperson for Transurban.
The goal of the new 95 Express Lanes is to reduce congestion on corridor that is known as one of the worst bottlenecks in our area.
“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.
VDOT says along with benefits to drivers, the project is expected to generate $1 billion in economic activity. The extended Express Lanes is a project about a year behind schedule, but will connect with the Rappahannock River Crossing projects currently under construction in the Fredericksburg area. The Crossing projects are on budget, according to VDOT and expected to be completed on time in 2024.