VDOT News - Fredericksburg

July 30, 2020 UPDATE: Due to forecasted weather conditions over the next week, an upcoming closure of the Rappahannock River to river traffic underneath the Interstate 95 bridges has been postponed to Monday, Aug. 10.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Paddlers on the Rappahannock River will portage at the Interstate 95 bridges in Fredericksburg to safely navigate around bridge construction as part of the I-95 Southbound Rappahannock River Crossing project.

Starting Wednesday, Aug. 5, river traffic will have to exit the water before the I-95 southbound bridge and use stairs and a path to navigate around the river closure. Paddlers will then reenter the river at a launch on the other side of the structure.

Warning signs and buoys are posted to alert river users to the portage ahead, and when and where to exit the river.  Additional signs notifying users about the portage have been installed at major put-in locations upstream from the I-95 bridges to include Mott’s Landing, Hunting Run, Ely’s Ford and Kelly’s Ford.

Pedestrian trails near the river in Fredericksburg will remain open.

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

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.

A portage is required to allow crews to extend a temporary equipment bridge in the river toward the Stafford riverbank. A crane will use the temporary bridge to continue construction on the new I-95 southbound bridge.

Weather permitting, river traffic will portage through early September.

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.

For additional information, please visit the project page on the Improve 95 website at www.Improve95.org

511Virginia

Motorists can find real-time information on lane closures, work zones, traffic and other incidents on 511Virginia.

Download the free mobile 511Virginia app for Apple and Android devices to stay connected, or visit www.511Virginia.org. Motorists also can reach 511Virginia by calling 511 from any phone in Virginia.

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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.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.