Beachgoers, beware: A two-mile southbound stretch of Interstate 95 in Virginia will close overnight Friday and Saturday.
The southbound lanes between Exit 152 and Exit 150 (Dumfries and Joplin roads) will be shut down due to construction work for the I-95 express lanes project.
Partial closures will begin at 9:30 p.m. both nights, with full closures by 1 a.m. Drivers can expect the lanes to reopen at 4 a.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday.
Closing a section of I-95 during the busy summer travel season could mean a very long wait for drivers, said News4 Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss.
Drivers are recommended to avoid the area altogether. If you're headed to Virginia Beach or other southern points this weekend, you should leave early or take another route.
A detour will take drivers to Route 234 to Route 1, onto Joplin Road and then back onto I-95 -- but it's expected to be congested.
"Are you serious? How much more do we really have to take in the state of Virginia?" said commuter Tianna Stephens. "...I'm a native New Yorker... We have more than one way of getting around. Out here, you don't."
"It will be chaos," said driver Gene Cox.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is also warning drivers that similar work will happen next weekend. (View VDOT's latest updates on Twitter here: @VaDOT.)
