The $50 million I-95 Express Lanes extension in Stafford opened up for drivers yesterday.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the extension is part of a five-year $800 million plan to address traffic congestion on I-95.
The project “extends Express Lanes beyond the flyover ramp where they previously ended, just north of Route 610,” stated a release.
The extension is owned and operated by Transurban, who contributed $25 million toward the project, stated VDOT. The extension will operate using the same rules as the existing Express Lanes, with tolls for single occupancy vehicles and HOV vehicles.
More on the project from our earlier story.
“We know we have more work to do on I-95, as recent congestion reports have reminded us, but this Express Lanes extension is the first step in a series of projects to unlock gridlock along I-95 through the Fredericksburg region,” stated Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne in a release.
VDOT stated that six additional I-95 projects were in the works to open up traffic in the Fredericksburg-area and are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
“Merging and weaving near the Garrisonville Road interchange has contributed to delays for drivers in the Express Lanes and the main lanes. This extension will not resolve all of the congestion challenges on I-95, but it will reduce conflict points that are intensifying traffic slowdowns during the peak morning and afternoon commutes,” stated VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick in a release.
