Transportation
Scott Shenk writes about transportation issues affecting Fredericksburg-area residents.
VDOT Hot Spots: Look for bridge work this week
Look for delays starting this week on two of Fredericksburg’s primary bridges.
Work starts Monday night on the Falmouth Bridge sidewalk and railing rehab job. Crews will work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the 69-year-old bridge. The bridge will also be inspected Wednesday and Thursday. The inspection will shut down a lane on the side being inspected.
The Chatham Bridge also will undergo an inspection this week. It also will be milled and paved.
Workers have already started inspecting the bridge and that should continue through Tuesday. The milling and paving work will be done from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. The work should be completed Thursday.
And, as usual this time of year, there are plenty of other paving projects going on, primarily on Interstate 95.
These orange paint marks are prep work for a project that will fix the concrete on sidewalks and railings on the Falmouth Bridge.
Stafford County
Route 1 (Falmouth Bridge)
(New) Monday – Thursday, 8 p.m. – 6 a.m., work will begin on the Falmouth Bridge Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project. Northbound motorists will be restricted to one lane on the bridge during the overnight hours and the sidewalk will be closed to pedestrian traffic for the duration of the project. The southbound travel lanes will remain open during this phase of the project.
Route 1 (Falmouth Bridge)
(New) Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., crews will be inspecting the Falmouth Bridge. Motorists will be restricted to one lane in each direction on the bridge.
Route 3 (Chatham Bridge)
(New) Monday – Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., crews will be inspecting the Chatham Bridge. The bridge is located on Route 3 Business and crosses the Rappahannock Bridge. Motorists will be restricted to one lane in each direction in the work zone.
Route 3 (Chatham Bridge)
(New) Sunday – Thursday, 8 p.m. – 5 a.m., crews will be milling the pavement on the Chatham Bridge. The bridge is located on Route 3 Business and crosses the Rappahannock Bridge. Motorists will be restricted to one lane in each direction in the work zone.
Route 1
(New) Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., crews will be milling on Route 1 between Route 628 (Ramoth Church Road) to just north of Route 631 (Coal Landing Rd.) Motorists will be restricted to one lane in each direction.
Interstate 95
(New) Sunday – Wednesday, 10 p.m. – 5 a.m.; crews will continue milling and paving on I-95 south between Exit 133 (Rt. 17/Falmouth) and Exit 130 (Rt. 3/Fredericksburg) Motorists will be restricted to one lane in the work zone. Expect delays.
Spotsylvania County
Interstate 95
(Update) Motorists should expect delays on I-95 south from just south of Exit 118 (Rt. 606/Thornburg) to the north end of the Matta River Bridge located at mile marker 117.
The following lane closures will be in place this week:
- Monday (3 p.m. – 5 a.m.) – the left lane and shoulder will be closed.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, (10 p.m. – 6 a.m.) – the ramp to Exit 118 (Route 606/Thornburg) will be closed. Motorists should use Exit 126 (Rt. 1/Spotsylvania) or Exit 110 (Rt. 639/Ladysmith) as alternates.
- Thursday (10 p.m. – 6 a.m.) – the left lane and center lane will be closed.
Interstate 95 Ramps at Exit 130
(Update) Thursday, 10 p.m. – 5 a.m.; crews will continue milling and paving the ramps at Exit 130 (Rt. 3/Fredericksburg. The ramps from I-95 south to Route 3 west and ramps from Route 3 west to I-95 south will be closed to traffic. Motorists should use Exit 133 (Rt. 17/Falmouth) to Route 1 south back to Route 3 west as alternate route.
Route 208 Bridge over Lake Anna
(New) Beginning Tuesday, the concrete barrier and orange barrels will be removed from the bridge and all travel lanes will be open. The temporary signals will also be removed on the Route 208 bridge over Lake Anna. Motorists should expect periodic lane closures during the daylight hours as crews work to complete miscellaneous items that are required to finish the bridge deck replacement project.
King George County
Route 218
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; crews continue milling, paving and replacing guardrail on Route 218 between Rt. 694 and Route 609. Motorists will be restricted to one lane in the work zone.
Harry Nice Bridge
Monday – Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.; motorists will be restricted to one lane on the Harry Nice Bridge located on Route 301 bridge. The Maryland Transportation Authority will be conducting routine bridge inspections. The inspections are expected to continue through November. Expect delays. For real time traffic information visit www.md511.org
Caroline County
Interstate 95
(Update) Sunday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 a.m.; crews continue paving on I-95 north between mile markers 101 located north of the Hanover C.L. and mile marker 106.9 located just north of Exit 104 (Rt. 207/Carmel Church). This is a day and night time operation. One lane will be closed in the work zone between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Two lanes will be closed beginning at 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. each day. Expect delays.
Interstate 95 North/South @ Exit 104
(Update) Monday and Tuesday, 7 p.m. – 5 a.m.; crews will be striping the pavement and placing stone on the shoulder on the north and southbound side of I-95 at Exit 104 (Rt. 207/Carmel Church). One lane will be closed in this mobile work zone.
Under Construction
Spotsylvania County
- Route 208 (Spotsylvania Courthouse Bypass, Phase II)
Be alert to the new traffic pattern on Route 208 between Robert E. Lee Drive and Post Oak Road. Construction continues on the final segment of the Spotsylvania Courthouse Bypass from Post Oak Road to just east of the Ta River near Lake Anna. Estimated completion date is February 2013.
- Route 208 Bridge over Lake Anna
Construction continues in the eastbound lane on the Route 208 bridge over Lake Anna. A temporary signal maintains one lane of traffic in the westbound lane on the structure. Estimated completion date is December 2012.
- Route 738 (Partlow Road) at Ta River
Construction continues on the southbound side of the bridge. A temporary traffic signal maintains one lane of traffic across the structure. The project is expected to be complete in October 2012.
- Mine Road/Lansdowne Road (Spotsylvania County Project)
Construction continues in the vicinity of the Mine Road/Lansdowne Road intersection. Expect delays and traffic pattern changes during daylight hours.
- Route 3 Widening Project (Spotsylvania County Project)
This widening project of Route 3 is located between Chewing Lane and Gordon Road.
- Smith Station Road and Piedmont Drive (Spotsylvania County Project)
Work is underway at the intersection of Smith Station Road and Piedmont Drive. The Spotsylvania County roadway improvement project includes widening the road and the installation of a new traffic signal. Motorists in the vicinity of this work zone should follow the designated detour signs.
Caroline County
- Route 207 bridge replacement project
Work is underway to replace the westbound Route 207 bridge over the CSX railroad tracks. Eastbound and westbound traffic has been shifted to the eastbound Route 207 bridge. Motorists should be alert to this new traffic pattern. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph in the work zone. Estimated completion date is May 2013.
King George County
- Route 301 bridge over the Rappahannock River
Work is underway on the Route 301 bridge over the Rappahannock River. The bridge connects Caroline and King George counties at Port Royal. All traffic has been shifted to the southbound lanes on the bridge with one lane open to traffic in each direction. Motorists should be alert to construction activity and changes in traffic patterns. The project is expected to be complete in July 2013.
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