VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Rappahannock River users are advised that the river will be closed starting today, Dec. 17, to accommodate bridge construction as part of the Interstate 95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project. 

The closure was postponed from an earlier announced date in December due to weather conditions and high water levels. 

Signs are being posted to guide river users at the portage, which is located at the I-95 bridges. River access will reopen in spring 2020. Additional signs notifying river users of the portage have been installed at major put-in locations upstream: Mott's Landing, Hunting Run, Ely's Ford and Kelly's Ford.  

River users can stay updated by checking the Rappahannock River access page online at improve95.org.

What’s Being Done

A second I-95 southbound bridge is being built as part of the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project. The new bridge will carry three I-95 southbound lanes for through traffic over the river between Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg.

The river is closing temporarily to allow crews to extend a temporary bridge in the river north toward the Stafford riverbank. A crane will be driven across the temporary bridge to build the fourth bridge pier, which will support the new I-95 southbound bridge.

What River Users Can Expect

River users will see signs warning them that the river is impassable and of portage ahead, and when and where to exit the river.

Pedestrian trails near the river in Fredericksburg remain open. The river closure and portage affects only river users.

All recreational traffic, on the river and on pedestrian trails, is encouraged to obey all signs and warnings in the construction work zone.

Project Background

Construction to build the $132 million I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing began in August 2018 and will be underway through May 2022.

The project seeks to reduce I-95 congestion in the Fredericksburg area by providing local traffic with additional lanes to travel between the Route 17 and Route 3 interchanges without merging into the interstate’s general purpose lanes. 

The Rappahannock River Crossing project will build three new general purpose lanes for I-95 southbound stretching six miles in the current median of I-95. The new lanes will begin in the vicinity of Truslow Road, just north of Exit 133 at Route 17 in Stafford. The new lanes will end 1.2 miles south of Exit 130 at Route 3 in Fredericksburg, in Spotsylvania County. 

The three existing I-95 southbound lanes will be converted to carry those traveling to the Route 17 and Route 3 interchanges, as well as the Safety Rest Area and Virginia Welcome Center. 

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VDOT’s 14-county Fredericksburg District includes the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford in the Fredericksburg area; Northumberland, Richmond, Lancaster and Westmoreland counties in the Northern Neck; Essex, Gloucester, King & Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex counties in the Middle Peninsula.

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