Interstate 95 in Virginia
Interstate Highway in Virginia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Interstate Highway in Virginia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interstate 95 (I-95) runs 179 miles (288 km) within the commonwealth of Virginia between its borders with North Carolina and Maryland. I-95 meets the northern terminus of I-85 in Petersburg and is concurrent with I-64 for three miles (4.8 km) in Richmond. Although I-95 was originally planned as a highway through Washington, D.C. (following the route of what is now I-395), it was rerouted along the eastern portion of the Capital Beltway concurrent with I-495. From Petersburg to Richmond, I-95 utilized most of the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike, a former toll road (the south end of the toll road was on I-85). In addition to Richmond, the route also runs through the medium-sized cities of Emporia, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria.
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by VDOT | ||||
Length | 178.73 mi[1][2] (287.64 km) | |||
Existed | 1957–present | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-95 at North Carolina border near Skippers | |||
North end | I-95 / I-495 at District of Columbia border in Alexandria | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Virginia | |||
Counties | Greensville, City of Emporia, Sussex, Prince George, City of Petersburg, City of Colonial Heights, Chesterfield, City of Richmond, Henrico, Hanover, Caroline, Spotsylania, City of Fredericksburg, Stafford, Prince William, Fairfax, City of Alexandria | |||
Highway system | ||||
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It enters the Capital Beltway at the Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl. I-95 continues over the Potomac River on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Washington, D.C. (for 0.11 miles [0.18 km] on the bridge) and then into Maryland on the Capital Beltway.
The route between Fredericksburg and Springfield is consistently one of the most congested routes of highway in the US, particularly during holidays and rush hours. The causes for this congestion are lack of alternative routes, fewer lanes than needed, and the spread-out suburbs of the Washington, D.C. area.[3] To solve this problem, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) started a project to widen I-95 to six lanes between the cities, as well as adding express lanes and new offramps to U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and State Route 3 (SR 3) through Fredericksburg. The project was started in 2018 and was completed on December 7, 2023.[4]
On January 4, 2022, a major traffic jam occurred, leaving some people stuck in traffic for more than 24 hours due to heavy snowfall.[5]
I-95 continues the pattern of being a four-lane highway from North Carolina. The northbound welcome center forbids trucks, but truck stops at the first two interchanges provides a substitute place for truckers to stay before reaching Emporia.[6][7] In Emporia, the freeway has an interchange with US 58. North of here, I-95 and US 301 are often intertwined with each other as they encounter interchanges with Virginia Secondary State Routes. In the Owens–Stony Creek area in Sussex County, the road not only runs parallel to US 301 but shares bridges with I-95, many of which have access to US 301 from connecting roads. This pattern ends at exit 33 at the corner of a truck stop and travel center. Crossing the Sussex–Prince George county line, the first site along I-95 is another rest area that also serves as the Petersburg Area Tourist Information Center. The road makes a slight northeast turn between Carson and Templeton, then turns straight north again before approaching the south end of I-295 just before crossing the southern border of the city of Petersburg at exit 47. A series of frontage roads connect the interchanges with US 460, US 301 and the northern terminus of I-85. Immediately after the interchange with I-85, remnants of the former toll booths for the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike can be found.[8] Also, the I-95/I-85 interchange was formerly marked with signs directing southbound travelers to the long-distance cities of Miami, Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, respectively.
North of Petersburg, I-95 crosses the Appomattox River and enters the city of Colonial Heights and then Chesterfield County. An extraordinarily high Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge carries SR 895 (Pocahontas Parkway) over I-95 and the James River just south of the Richmond city limits. A CSX Transportation railroad line runs parallel to the northbound lane in the vicinity of the Port of Richmond, and the Commerce Road Industrial Area, a region that includes a Philip Morris USA office and an old bridge manufacturing plant.[9] As I-95 itself crosses the James River, Richmond Main Street Station can be seen on the north bank, and the road winds around the station itself.[10] The first interchange after it crosses the James River is the tolled SR 195 freeway and from there the road winds toward the concurrency with I-64. I-64/I-95 curves to the northwest to cross under US 1/US 301, only to turn back north briefly, and curve northwest again, as it approaches SR 161. This pattern ends when I-64 turns west at the same interchange as the northern terminus of I-195. From here I-95 curves back to the northeast and has two interchanges with US 1, and later US 301 separately, the latter of which has separate carriageways on both side of I-95. Another interchange with I-295 exists in Glen Allen. However, I-295 does not terminate there, and the south-to-eastbound and west-to-northbound offramps between the two can be accessed in the medians of both roads.
Throughout much of central Virginia, I-95 climbs a series of hills and contains wide tree-lined medians. Near Doswell, the SR 30 interchange provides access to the Kings Dominion amusement park, with signs for the amusement park blended in with standard destination signs. US 17 overlaps I-95 from Massaponax at exit 126 north to Falmouth at exit 133 as the highway passes west of the city of Fredericksburg. The bidirectional high-occupancy toll lane (HOT lane) begins at the northern US 17 interchange and runs through the center of I-95 through most of the rest of its journey toward Washington, D.C. At exit 143 in Aquia, the northbound off- and onramps connect directly to US 1, even though the interchange is specifically for SR 610.[11] Crossing over the Chopawamsic Creek takes I-95 through Marine Corps Base Quantico, which includes restrictive interchanges.[citation needed]
Further north in Prince William County, there are four rest areas; two for trucks in Dumfries and two for cars in Dale City. The truck rest areas, with weigh stations, are near exit 152. The car rest areas have uniquely positioned entrance and exit ramps. The southbound car rest area, near exit 156, is accessible only from the southbound collector–distributor road. In Lorton, a scissor interchange exists with US 1 and, shortly after this, Lorton station serving Amtrak's Auto Train is located near exit 163. Due to public opposition of efforts to build I-95 through Washington, D.C. and College Park, Maryland, I-95 is diverted onto a concurrency with I-495 (Capital Beltway) at the Springfield Interchange, with the former alignment north of here becoming I-395. I-95/I-495 continue east through Franconia, over the Washington Metro's Blue Line and Rose Hill. At Huntington, I-95/I-495 run under the Washington Metro's Yellow Line and through Alexandria before crossing over the Potomac River on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge briefly into Washington, D.C. and then into Maryland.
I-95 extends the twin-lane barrier-separated high-occupancy toll lanes (HOV lanes) that begin on I-395 at the 14th Street bridges in Washington. These lanes have been extended south several times, most recently to US 17 near Fredericksburg.
As part of the Quantico Creek bridge rebuilding project, a three-lane, 300-foot-long (91 m) bridge was constructed in the median just south of the old southern HOV terminus for use when the HOV facilities were extended. It was previously used as a detour bridge and retained its lane striping from such use.
In December 2014, this bridge became part of the Southern HOV/HOT lane extension project that now runs to just north of Garrisonville Road (exit 143) in Stafford.[12][13]
The new I-95 HOV/HOT lanes project created approximately 29 miles (47 km) of HOV/HOT lanes on I-95 from Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to the vicinity of Edsall Road on I-395 in Fairfax County.[14]
In July 2016, VDOT began construction of an additional one-mile (1.6 km) extension of the HOV/HOT lanes on I-95 south of Garrisonville Road in Stafford County. This addition opened in November 2017.[15] On August 17, 2023, the HOV/HOT lanes were extended south from Garrisonville Road to US 17 near Fredericksburg; at the time, intermediate exits along the extension were not open.[16] The intermediate exits opened on December 7, 2023.[17]
In 2010, volume at Newington, northbound, from 6:00–9:00 am, is about 8,800 vehicles in the two HOV lanes and 18,300 vehicles in the three lanes with no restriction.[18]
County | Location | mi[2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greensville | | 0.00 | 0.00 | I-95 south – Rocky Mount | Continuation into North Carolina | |
Skippers | 4.13 | 6.65 | 4 | SR 629 – Skippers | ||
| 8.25 | 13.28 | 8 | US 301 – Emporia | ||
City of Emporia | 11.00 | 17.70 | 11 | US 58 – South Hill, Emporia, Norfolk | Signed as exits 11A (east) and 11B (west) | |
Greensville | | 12.99 | 20.91 | 12 | US 301 north | Northbound exit only |
| 13.51 | 21.74 | 13 | SR 614 – Emporia | ||
Sussex | | 17.30 | 27.84 | 17 | US 301 | |
| 20.25 | 32.59 | 20 | SR 631 – Jarratt | Former SR 137; to SR 139 | |
Owens | 24.29 | 39.09 | 24 | SR 645 | ||
Stony Creek | 30.92 | 49.76 | 31 | SR 40 – Stony Creek, Waverly | ||
| 33.37 | 53.70 | 33 | SR 602 | ||
Prince George | Carson | 37.15 | 59.79 | 37 | SR 623 – Carson | Former SR 141 west |
Templeton | 40.88 | 65.79 | 41 | US 301 / SR 35 / SR 156 – Courtland | ||
Kingwood | 45.42 | 73.10 | 45 | US 301 | ||
| 46.53 | 74.88 | 46 | I-295 north to I-64 – Washington, Richmond International Airport | I-295 to 95 north exit 1 | |
City of Petersburg | 47.74 | 76.83 | 47 | SR 629 (Rives Road) | ||
48.89 | 78.68 | 48 | Wagner Road (US 460 east) | Signed as exits 48A (east) and 48B (west); south end of US 460 overlap; serves Southside Regional Medical Center | ||
50.61– 51.06 | 81.45– 82.17 | 50 | US 460 Bus. east (County Drive) to SR 109 / US 301 (Crater Road) / Wythe Street / Washington Street – Fort Gregg-Adams | Northbound signed as "US 460 east to SR 109/US 301/Wythe St./Washington St."; southbound signed as "US 301/US 460 Bus." only; signed as exits 50A (US 460), 50B-C (US 301), and 50D (Wythe St./Washington St.) northbound | ||
51.71 | 83.22 | 51 | I-85 south / US 460 west – Durham, South Hill, Blackstone | Northern end of US 460 concurrency; Northern terminus of I-85; northbound signed as "South Hill/Blackstone"; southbound signed as "Durham" | ||
52.14 | 83.91 | 52 | Bank Street | Northbound exit only | ||
52.15 | 83.93 | Washington Street / Wythe Street (US 460 Bus. west) – Petersburg National Battlefield, Historic Old Towne Petersburg | ||||
Appomattox River | 52.79 | 84.96 | Appomattox River Bridge | |||
City of Colonial Heights | 53.00 | 85.30 | 53 | Southpark Boulevard | ||
53.98 | 86.87 | 54 | SR 144 (Temple Avenue) to SR 36 | |||
Chesterfield | | 57.91 | 93.20 | 58 | SR 620 (Woods Edge Road) / SR 746 (Ruffin Mill Road) | Signed as exits 58A (east) and 58B (west) southbound |
Chester | 60.81 | 97.86 | 61 | SR 10 – Hopewell, Chester | Signed as exits 61A (east) and 61B (west) | |
62.62 | 100.78 | 62 | SR 288 north to Powhite Parkway (SR 76) – Chesterfield | Southern terminus of SR 288 | ||
Chester–Bensley line | 64.66 | 104.06 | 64 | SR 613 (Willis Road) | ||
Bensley | 67.43 | 108.52 | 67 | SR 150 north (Chippenham Parkway) to SR 895 east / US 60 west / US 360 west / I-295 – Richmond International Airport | Signed as exits 67A (east) and 67B (north) northbound; no access from I-95 south to SR 895 east; southern terminus of SR 150 | |
City of Richmond | 69.35 | 111.61 | 69 | SR 161 (Bells Road) | Southern terminus of SR 161 | |
73.16 | 117.74 | 73 | Maury Street / Commerce Road | |||
73.61 | 118.46 | James River Bridge | ||||
74.01 | 119.11 | 74A | SR 195 Toll (Downtown Expressway) to I-195 north / Powhite Parkway (SR 76 south) | Eastern terminus of SR 195 | ||
74.30 | 119.57 | 74B | Franklin Street | Southbound exit only | ||
74.63 | 120.11 | 74C | US 250 (Broad Street) to US 33 | No access from I-95 south to US 250 east | ||
75.55 | 121.59 | 75 | I-64 east / 7th Street – Williamsburg, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Richmond International Airport | Southern end of I-64 concurrency; I-64 exit 190 | ||
75.85 | 122.07 | 76A | US 1 / US 301 (Chamberlayne Avenue) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
76.09 | 122.45 | 76B | US 1 / US 301 (Belvidere Street) | No northbound exit | ||
78.06 | 125.63 | 78 | SR 161 (Arthur Ashe Boulevard) | |||
78.84 | 126.88 | 79 | I-64 west / I-195 south / to Powhite Parkway (SR 76 south) – Charlottesville | Northern end of I-64 concurrency; I-64 exit 187 | ||
79.91 | 128.60 | 80 | SR 161 (Hermitage Road / Lakeside Avenue) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Henrico | Brook Hill | 80.82 | 130.07 | 81 | US 1 (Brook Road) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| 81.12 | 130.55 | 82 | US 301 / SR 2 (Chamberlayne Avenue) | Former northern terminus of Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike | |
Yellow Tavern | 82.94 | 133.48 | 83 | SR 73 west (Parham Road) | Signed as exits 83A (east) and 83B (west) | |
| 84.41 | 135.84 | 84 | I-295 to I-64 – Charlottesville, Williamsburg, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Rocky Mount, NC, Richmond International Airport | Signed as exits 84A (south) and 84B (north); I-295 exit 43; Rocky Mount, NC signed northbound; Williamsburg and Virginia Beach signed southbound | |
Hanover | Ashland | 87.30 | 140.50 | 86 | SR 656 – Atlee, Elmont | Signed as exits 86A (east) and 86B (west) |
Lewistown | 89.09 | 143.38 | 89 | SR 802 (Lewistown Road) | ||
Ashland | 91.74 | 147.64 | 92 | SR 54 – Ashland, Hanover | Signed as exits 92A (east) and 92B (west) northbound | |
| 97.75 | 157.31 | 98 | SR 30 – Doswell, West Point, Kings Dominion | Southbound exit splits to separate ramp to Kings Dominion | |
Caroline | Carmel Church | 104.18 | 167.66 | 104 | SR 207 to US 301 – Carmel Church, Bowling Green | |
Ladysmith | 110.30 | 177.51 | 110 | SR 639 – Ladysmith | To former SR 229 west | |
Spotsylvania | Thornburg | 118.26 | 190.32 | 118 | SR 606 – Thornburg | |
| 125.84 | 202.52 | 126 | US 1 / US 17 south – Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg | Southern end of US 17 concurrency; signed as exits 126A (north) and 126B (south) northbound | |
City of Fredericksburg | 129.54 | 208.47 | 130 | SR 3 – Culpeper, Fredericksburg | Signed as exits 130A (east) and 130B (west) | |
Rappahannock River | 131.83 | 212.16 | Rappahannock Falls Bridge | |||
Stafford | | 133.08 | 214.17 | 133 | US 17 north / US 17 Bus. south – Warrenton, Falmouth, Fredericksburg | Northern end of US 17 concurrency; signed as exits 133A (US 17 Bus.) and 133B (north) southbound |
| I-95 Express north | South end of I-95 Express lanes | ||||
| 135.61 | 218.24 | 136 | SR 8900 (Centreport Parkway) to US 1 – Stafford Airport | Exit opened December 22, 2005 | |
| 139.83 | 225.03 | 140 | SR 630 – Stafford | To former SR 212 east | |
| 141.00 | 226.92 | I-95 Express north | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Aquia | 142.73 | 229.70 | 143A | SR 610 east / US 1 – Aquia | Signed as US 1 northbound and SR 610 southbound; former SR 213 | |
143B | SR 610 west – Garrisonville | Former SR 213 | ||||
| 145.30 | 233.84 | I-95 Express north | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Prince William | | 147.65 | 237.62 | 148 | Marine Corps Base Quantico | |
Triangle | 149.97 | 241.35 | 150 | SR 619 – Triangle, Quantico, Prince William Forest Park | Signed as exits 150A (east) and 150B (west) southbound; commercial vehicles to Marine Corps Base Quantico must use exit 148 | |
| 151.00 | 243.01 | I-95 Express north | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Dumfries | 152.36 | 245.20 | 152 | SR 234 – Dumfries, Manassas | Signed as exits 152A (south) and 152B (north) | |
Dale City | 155.91 | 250.91 | 156 | SR 784 – Dale City, Rippon Landing | Since 2012, signed as exits 156A (east) and 156B (west); northbound entrance includes direct entrance ramp from Opitz Boulevard, and direct exit ramp to I-95 Express lanes | |
| 157.00 | 252.67 | I-95 Express | No direct northbound exit | ||
| 158.13 | 254.49 | 158 | SR 294 (Prince William Parkway) – Woodbridge, Manassas | Signed as exits 158A (east) and 158B (west) | |
| 158.13 | 254.49 | SR 294 (Prince William Parkway) – Manassas, Woodbridge | Southbound exit and northbound entrance for I-95 Express lanes; exit includes direct exit ramp to Horner Road Commuter Parking Lot | ||
Woodbridge | 160.05 | 257.58 | 160 | SR 123 – Occoquan, Lake Ridge, Woodbridge | Signed as exits 160A (south) and 160B (north) northbound; no access from I-95 south to SR 123 south | |
| 160.05 | 257.58 | SR 123 – Occoquan, Lake Ridge | Southbound exit and northbound entrance for I-95 Express lanes | ||
Fairfax | Lorton | 161.17 | 259.38 | 161 | US 1 north – Fort Belvoir, Mount Vernon | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
US 1 south – Woodbridge | Southbound exit and northbound entrance for I-95 Express lanes | |||||
US 1 south – Woodbridge | Southbound left exit and northbound entrance | |||||
163.66 | 263.39 | 163 | SR 642 – Lorton | |||
Newington | 165.56 | 266.44 | I-95 Express north | Northbound exit only | ||
166.00 | 267.15 | Alban Road / Boudinot Drive | Southbound entrance only for I-95 Express lanes | |||
166.80 | 268.44 | 166 | SR 286 (Fairfax County Parkway) / Backlick Road (SR 617) / Fullerton Road / Heller Road – Newington, Fort Belvoir | Signed as exits 166A (south) and 166B (north); Heller Rd. not signed northbound; Backlick Rd./Fullerton Rd. not signed southbound | ||
167.00 | 268.76 | I-95 Express south | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
167.81 | 270.06 | 167 | SR 617 south (Backlick Road) / Fullerton Road | Southbound exit only | ||
Springfield | 169.05 | 272.06 | 169A-B | SR 644 – Franconia, Springfield | No southbound exit; signed as exits 169A (east) and 169B (west) | |
SR 289 (Franconia-Springfield Parkway) | I-95 Express lane interchange | |||||
I-95 Express north | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||||
SR 644 west – Springfield | Southbound exit and northbound entrance for I-95 Express lanes | |||||
169.05– 171.01 | 272.06– 275.21 | 170A-B | I-395 north / I-495 north – Washington, Tysons Corner | Part of Springfield Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 170A (I-395) and 170B (I-495); I-395 exits 1A-B | ||
I-395 Express north | I-95 Express lane interchange; part of Springfield Interchange | |||||
I-495 north – Tysons Corner | I-95 Express lane interchange; part of Springfield Interchange | |||||
I-95 Express south | Part of Springfield Interchange; north end of I-95 Express lanes | |||||
170B | I-495 north – Tysons Corner | Southern end of I-495 concurrency; part of Springfield Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
Franconia | 171.97 | 276.76 | 173 | SR 613 (Van Dorn Street) – Franconia | Formerly signed as exit 3 (following old Capital Beltway numbering) | |
| 173.51 | 279.24 | 174 | Eisenhower Avenue Connector – Alexandria | ||
| 174.31 | 280.52 | — | I-95 north / I-495 east (Thru Lanes) – Baltimore I-95 Local north / I-495 Local east – Alexandria | South end of Thru Lanes | |
Huntington | 175.06 | 281.73 | 176A-B | SR 241 / SR 611 south (Telegraph Road / North Kings Highway) / to Eisenhower Avenue – Alexandria | Signed as exits 176A (south) and 176B (north); formerly signed as exit 2 (following old Capital Beltway numbering) | |
176.27 | 283.68 | — | Eisenhower Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance for Thru Lanes only | ||
City of Alexandria | 176.57 | 284.16 | 177A-B | US 1 – Alexandria, Fort Belvoir | Signed as exits 177A (south) and 177B (north); formerly signed as exit 1 (following old Capital Beltway numbering); entrances include direct entrance ramps onto Thru Lanes; no access to northbound Thru Lanes from US 1 north | |
177C | Mount Vernon | Southbound exit only | ||||
Potomac River | 177.64 | 285.88 | Woodrow Wilson Bridge VA–DC and DC–MD lines | |||
I-95 Local north / I-495 Local north (Capital Beltway) – Baltimore | Continuation beyond Virginia | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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