New Diverging Diamond Interchange Opens In Stafford County

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Traffic began traveling in a new diamond interchange Dec. 7 at the Interstate 95 exit for Courthouse Road (Exit 140) in Stafford County. Eastbound and westbound Courthouse Road traffic is now traveling on a new road and overpasses, along with three I-95 ramps. 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, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

The new four-lane Hospital Center Boulevard extension is open west of Route 1, directly across from Stafford Hospital. Hospital Center Boulevard now connects directly to the diverging diamond interchange on Courthouse Road at a new intersection with Old Courthouse Road and Wyche Road.

VDOT is encouraging motorists to use the new Hospital Center Boulevard intersection at Route 1 to connect with the new Courthouse Road. With a greater number of travel lanes now open on Hospital Center Boulevard and Courthouse Road, the department said, this direct route will help motorists travel through the Courthouse area with the fewest delays. Courthouse Road carries an average of 16,000 vehicles a day and around 136,000 vehicles a day travel on I-95 near Exit 140.

Diverging Diamond Interchanges, according to VDOT, 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.

Construction on the Exit 140 interchange and Courthouse Road widening project began in July 2017. All work is scheduled for completion by July 31, 2020. After the new four-lane portion of Courthouse Road opens to traffic west of Austin Ridge Drive in late December, construction crews will focus on finishing the expanded park and ride commuter parking lot at Exit 140 and a new sidewalk and shared use path from the park and ride lots east along Old Courthouse Road to the Stafford County Government Center.

VDOT developed a video simulation showing an aerial and windshield view of the diverging diamond interchange.