Virginia

Virginia to Fix Notorious I-95 Bottleneck

Good news: VDOT is adding six lanes. Bad news: It's not set to be done until 2022

You know the stretch of I-95 in Virginia where you sit in traffic for ages? State officials say they're fixing it.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is planning to add three new lanes to help remove the bottleneck from Route 17 to Route 3 in Fredericksburg. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held Wednesday, with Gov. Ralph Northam in attendance. 

The six miles of new lanes should speed things up for drivers. About 150,000 vehicle use the stretch of road every day.

Southbound traffic is set to be separated by local and through lanes. The tricky part will be building a new southbound bridge across the Rappahannock River.

The construction should not affect drivers, VDOT Commissioner Steven Brich said Wednesday.

"Most of this should not impact traffic, other than the lane shifts," he said.

Heavy construction is set to occur over non-peak hours.

The work is expected to be complete in 2022.

Driver Darcel Blagman said he was ready for a solution. He said he frequently sits in traffic in the area. 

"Not only [should you] pack a lunch — bring a chef, because you're gonna need it. I swear you are," he said.

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