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Diverging diamond interchange in Stafford opens at exit 140 on Saturday

by | Dec 6, 2019 | Traffic

In less than 24 hours, the diverging diamond interchange on Courthouse Road in Stafford will open! Here’s a preview from Austin Ridge Drive to I-95 northbound.

Posted by Virginia Department of Transportation on Friday, December 6, 2019

 

From VDOT:

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will open the new diverging diamond interchange over Interstate 95 at Exit 140 (Courthouse Road) in Stafford County at approximately 7 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

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.

What Motorists Can Expect

On Saturday, crews will open the new interchange to traffic around 7 a.m. with assistance from Virginia State Police and the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

Opening the interchange early Saturday will allow crews to take advantage of lighter traffic volumes.

Message boards are posted on I-95, Route 1, Courthouse Road and other connecting roads to alert travelers to the interchange opening.

Numerous signs and pavement markings guide drivers through the diverging diamond interchange. Watch a simulation video here to experience a traveler’s windshield view and an aerial view.

In addition to the interchange opening on Dec. 7, motorists can expect:

  • On eastbound Courthouse Road, all three travel lanes will open in the diverging diamond interchange
  • At Route 1, a new four-lane Hospital Center Boulevard extension will open west of Route 1 and connect directly to the diverging diamond interchange on Courthouse Road through a new Wyche Road intersection
  • On westbound Courthouse Road, all three travel lanes will open in the diverging diamond interchange, but the road will narrow to two westbound travel lanes just before Austin Ridge Drive
  • 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

 

I-95 Southbound Exit Ramp Detour

On Saturday, three of the new Exit 140 interchange ramps will 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.

 

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