'Mega' Work Zone Coming To I-95 Near Fredericksburg On Monday

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A "mega" work zone is coming to northbound I-95 around Fredericksburg on Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. VDOT officials are urging drivers to avoid northbound I-95 from 5 p.m. on Monday until 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

Crews will be working on two projects during the lane closures. Crews will shift traffic onto the new Rappahannock River Crossing bridge lanes and bring the next set of overnight bridge beam lifts to Stafford County.

The largest impacts will be between exit 130 and exit 136.

"Merging the work zone activities will reduce impact on the traveling public," VDOT officials said on the Improve 95 website. "This work zone brings the project one step closer to delivering more capacity to I-95 travelers, with these critical project milestones achieved."

Transportation officials noted that combining the work zones and completing the work over 36 hours limits the disruption to drivers. Other work scheduling could have caused up to a month of nightly lane closures.

Here are some of the lane closures to know, according to VDOT's Improve 95 website:

• Monday, Dec. 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • 2 lanes open.
  • Left lane closed between exit 130 and exit 133.
• Monday, Dec. 5 from 7 p.m. until Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 4:30 a.m.
  • 1 lane open.
  • Both left lanes closed between exits 130 and 136.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 4:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.
  • All travel lanes open.
  • Traffic splits after Exit 130. Left two travel lanes travel across the new Rappahannock River Bridge while the right lane travels on the original Rappahannock River Bridge, according to VDOT.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.
  • 2 lanes open.
  • Right lane closed.
  • Exit 133 detours to exit 136.
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 11 p.m. until Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 a.m.
  • Middle lane open.
  • Double lane closures between exit 130 and exit 136.
  • Exit 133 detours to exit 136.

"We are grateful for the extraordinary patience of the Fredericksburg area and travelers as we open this interstate bridge," VDOT's Fredericksburg District said on Facebook. "We don't open interstate bridges often, and crews will be working nonstop during the work zone hours to safely transition travelers onto the new crossing."

Detailed information about the lane closures is available on the Improve 95 website.