Construction is starting on Route 1 improvements at the entrance to the future U.S. Veterans Health Administration outpatient clinic under construction in Spotsylvania County.
New turn lanes, traffic signal equipment and medians will be built at the future clinic entrance on Route 1 to accommodate vehicles entering and exiting the medical campus. The clinic is expected to open for building occupancy in summer 2024. The Route 1 intersection improvements are anticipated to be completed by summer 2023.
The lead contractor for the clinic is Harvey-Cleary Builders. W.C. Spratt, Inc., has been hired to construct the road improvements needed for the facility, which have been funded by Spotsylvania County and will be built under a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) permit.
Travelers should be alert for overnight lane closures on Route 1 between Market Street and Mine Road, which is just north of the Interstate 95 interchange at exit 126 (Spotsylvania).
Crews are limited to scheduling most lane closures between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The only exception is Saturday and Sunday mornings, when lane closures may be in place until 9 a.m.
Route 1 will be widened to accommodate two new northbound left turn lanes at the clinic entrance, and a southbound right turn lane. A median will separate northbound and southbound traffic near the clinic entrance. View an online display of the road improvements.
On the clinic property, two lanes will be built to receive traffic turning into the entrance, and two right turn lanes and a left turn lane will be built for exiting traffic.
A new traffic signal will be installed at the clinic entrance.
A 5-foot-wide sidewalk will be built along the front of the clinic property next to the Route 1 southbound lanes, with crosswalks spanning the entrance.
One of the concrete medians separating northbound and southbound Route 1 traffic will be 6 feet wide, and will serve as a pedestrian refuge, paired with crosswalks painted across the northbound and southbound lanes.
Once the project is complete, VDOT will maintain and operate the traffic signal equipment and Route 1 improvements as part of the state’s transportation network.
More Transportation Improvements in Spotsylvania County’s Massaponax Area
Additional transportation improvements under construction in the Massaponax area of Spotsylvania include:
- Park & Ride lot at Route 1 and Commonwealth Drive – Provides around 700 parking spaces for ridesharing in a new commuter lot. Project completion in May 2023.
- Route 17 widening and I-95 overpass replacement – Building a new four-lane overpass of I-95 and widening Route 17 to four lanes east of the intersection with Hospital Boulevard and Germanna Point Drive. New sidewalk and a shared use path built along Route 17 from Hospital Boulevard/Germanna Point Drive to Latitude Street. Project completion in February 2024.
Projects that are fully funded through construction in the Massaponax area that will be under construction within the next year include:
- I-95 southbound off-ramp (exit 126) and Route 1 southbound – Adds a second right turn lane on the interstate off-ramp to Route 1 southbound, with two right turn lanes from Route 1 southbound to Southpoint Parkway. Southpoint Parkway will be widened to the existing turn lane near Longhorn Steakhouse. Construction anticipated to begin in early 2023. Early tree clearing activities in support of the project will occur before construction begins. Funded through Virginia’s SMART SCALE program.
- Southpoint Parkway safety improvements – As part of the same contract building the exit 126 off-ramp improvements, this federally-funded safety project will add traffic islands along Southpoint Parkway that will allow left turns into commercial driveways but restrict through traffic and left turns from side streets. An additional right turn lane will be added to eastbound Southpoint Parkway at the Route 1 intersection. Construction anticipated to begin in early 2023.
- Route 208 (Courthouse Road) and Hood Drive – Builds additional turn lanes on northbound Hood Drive to reduce congestion. A raised median will be built on Hood Drive to separate northbound and southbound traffic between Courthouse Road and McGowan Drive. Additional sidewalk, crosswalks, and pedestrian crossing equipment will be installed at the intersection. During construction, southbound Hood Drive traffic (traveling from Courthouse Road to Route 1) will be closed to through traffic. Through traffic will be detoured to use Courthouse Road and Route 1. Construction anticipated to begin in early 2023. Early tree clearing activities in support of the project will occur before construction begins. Funded through Virginia’s SMART SCALE program.
- Hood Drive turn lanes – This Spotsylvania County project will widen Hood Drive to include right and left turn lanes at a second entrance to the Veterans Health Administration outpatient clinic. Construction anticipated to begin in early 2023.
- Route 1 and Market Street – A federally-funded safety project will provide triple left turn lanes from westbound Market Street to Route 1 southbound, and a fourth lane as a shared through/right turn lane. A shared through/right turn lane on Route 1 southbound will tie into the I-95 northbound on-ramp south of the intersection. New sidewalks will be added along westbound Market Street, Route 1 southbound and a short area on Route 1 northbound. Crosswalks will span Market Street and Route 1, controlled by pedestrian crossing signal equipment. Construction anticipated to begin in early 2023.
