VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Traffic has begun traveling in the new diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 95 at Exit 140 (Courthouse Road) in Stafford County.

Eastbound and westbound Courthouse Road traffic began traveling on the new road and overpasses shortly after 7 a.m. today, along with three of the I-95 ramps.

The new four-lane Hospital Center Boulevard extension is open west of Route 1, directly across from Stafford Hospital. Hospital Center Boulevard now connects directly to the diverging diamond interchange on Courthouse Road at a new intersection with Old Courthouse Road and Wyche Road.

The interchange opening is a major milestone in the $195 million project to expand capacity and improve travel in Stafford County’s Courthouse Road area.

Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDIs) lower the number of conflict points between vehicles by eliminating left turns. The new interchange briefly shifts vehicles on Courthouse Road to the other side of the road on new overpass bridges, which allows drivers to merge left onto the I-95 northbound and southbound ramps without stopping at a traffic signal.

Watch a video simulation showing an aerial and windshield view of the diverging diamond interchange.

What Motorists Can Expect

Motorists are encouraged to use the new Hospital Center Boulevard intersection at Route 1 to connect with the new Courthouse Road.

With a greater number of travel lanes now open on Hospital Center Boulevard and Courthouse Road, this direct route will help motorists travel through Stafford's Courthouse area with the fewest delays.

Although many features of the new diverging diamond interchange are now open, travelers are advised that temporary traffic patterns are in place at several locations.

I-95 Southbound Exit Ramp Detour

Three of the new Exit 140 interchange ramps are open, but the I-95 southbound exit ramp to Courthouse Road will remain in a detour pattern until late December 2019.

Click here to view a map of the detour.

Motorists traveling from I-95 southbound to Courthouse Road should follow the posted detour signs to access the new Courthouse Road.

Traffic will be detoured for several weeks to allow crews to build the new exit ramp and raise its elevation to match the height of the new diverging diamond interchange and I-95 overpass bridges. Courthouse Road traffic was previously traveling in the location where this construction work will now be underway.

Westbound Courthouse Road

All three travel lanes are open in the diverging diamond interchange, but westbound Courthouse Road road will narrow to two westbound travel lanes just before Austin Ridge Drive.

Courthouse Road

Courthouse Road west of Austin Ridge Drive will remain reduced to one lane in each direction until late December 2019, when all four lanes will open between the I-95 interchange and Ramoth Church Road/Winding Creek Road.

Project Background

Construction on the Exit 140 interchange and Courthouse Road widening project began in July 2017. All work will be finished by July 31, 2020. 

After the new four-lane portion of Courthouse Road opens to traffic west of Austin Ridge Drive in late December 2019, construction crews will focus on finishing the following project elements in 2020:

• Expanded Park & Ride commuter parking at Exit 140: New Park & Ride lots are under construction north and south of the future Old Courthouse Road. Together, the lots will offer around 1,100 parking spaces. The southern lot will have a dedicated pickup and dropoff area for buses, carpools, and vanpools.

• New sidewalk and shared use path: Crews will continue building new sidewalk from the Park & Ride lots east along Old Courthouse Road to the Stafford County Government Center, and a shared use path from Austin Ridge Drive to the Park & Ride lots through the interchange. A new, shared use path from Winding Creek Elementary School near the Ramoth Church Road/Winding Creek Road intersection to west of Austin Ridge Drive is now open.

Courthouse Road carries an average of 16,000 vehicles a day and around 136,000 vehicles a day travel on I-95 near Exit 140.

To learn more on this project, please visit the project page at www.VirginiaDOT.org/Exit140 and VDOT’s innovative intersections and interchanges page on diverging diamond interchanges (DDI).

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