VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Construction has finished ahead of schedule on a $22.4 million project to improve the Interstate 95 interchange at Exit 118 (Thornburg) in Spotsylvania County.

Work is wrapping up more than two months early on a project intended to reduce congestion along the I-95 ramps and in the travel lanes at Exit 118. The improvements were also made to accommodate current and future traffic demand on secondary roads in the Thornburg area, and to enhance motorist and pedestrian safety.

Travelers are crossing a new I-95 overpass on Route 606 (Mudd Tavern Road), which was expanded from two travel lanes to four travel lanes with dedicated turn lanes for the I-95 entrance and exit ramps.

Sidewalks were built along the bridge’s northern side and along a portion of Mudd Tavern Road to accommodate pedestrians walking between destinations on opposite sides of the interstate.

“By replacing a bridge that was original to the interstate system, we have removed a piece of infrastructure that was structurally deficient, and replaced it with an overpass that reflects the region’s needs and will serve future generations,” said Marcie Parker, P.E.,Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Fredericksburg District Engineer.

The design-build project was delivered on budget by Shirley Contracting Company, LLC and Dewberry Engineers, Inc. Construction began in September 2017.

The interchange’s off-set diamond design was selected to minimize the right-of-way required for the road and ramp improvements.

Improvements were designed to accommodate the next transportation project in the region, which will be a $21.2 million SMART SCALE project that will widen Mudd Tavern Road to four lanes from I-95 to Route 1. This project will be advertised to potential bidders in fall 2020, and is estimated to open to traffic in fall 2022.

Exit 118 improvements are part of a package of I-95 projects under construction or planned in the Fredericksburg region that collectively equal nearly $1 billion in public and private highway investment through 2024.

Bridge architectural treatments are a gray stone pattern, which was selected to match the appearance of other overpasses and noise barriers recently built or under construction along I-95 in the Fredericksburg area. 

Around 103,000 vehicles travel along I-95 daily near Exit 118, and around 13,000 vehicles travel along Mudd Tavern Road in the interchange vicinity, according to 2018 VDOT traffic counts.

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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.