Coming Soon

Project Overview

This project will reduce the average wait time for drivers at the intersection of Route 1, Route 17, and Route 218 (Butler Road) in Stafford County. 

The intersection is being widened to make room for construction of new turn lanes and through lanes. 

With more capacity for vehicles to pass through intersection on each traffic signal cycle, the delay for motorists will be reduced. 

What is happening at the intersection now?

The Virginia Department of Transportation is clearing the way for new turn lanes and travel lanes at the intersection through demolition and moving utilities underground. 

Demolition

• Demolition work to remove 8 structures began in December 2012, and was completed in March 2013.

Utility Relocation

• With a new look envisioned for the Route 1, Route 17 Business and Route 218 intersection at Falmouth, utilities will be moved underground to provide a gateway at the entrance to Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg. Moving utilities underground also protects them from traffic and severe weather. 
• VDOT will be relocating utilities and moving them underground from March-November 2013. 
• Moving utilities before construction begins is the best way to avoid service disruptions. 
• Utilities are relocated after structures are demolished, so utility providers have clear access to the ground below. 

Click Here to view a chart outlining all of the steps in the utility relocation phase. 

Construction

VDOT will advertise the project to bidders for construction in November 2013. A bidder will likely be chosen early in 2014, with work beginning shortly afterward. 

VDOT understands the importance of keeping traffic moving during construction, since Route 1 is the alternate route to Interstate 95.  

Working with the contractor, VDOT will develop a traffic maintenance plan that will balance construction work and traffic flow, especially at peak travel times. 

The intersection is being widened, which will allow some of the new lanes to be built outside of the existing intersection footprint, which minimizes impacts to drivers. 

Construction is expected to end in late 2015. 

Additional Project Details

• Ornamental landscaping, shrubbery and signs will be added in the project’s area as a beautification effort. 
• Sidewalks will be constructed to accommodate pedestrian traffic.
• The public will notice a substantially reduced wait, on average, at the intersection. 
• If nothing was done, the average wait time at the intersection was projected to be 234 seconds in 2016. By 2036, the average wait would have grown to 505 seconds.
• With the planned improvements, drivers will wait an average of 56 seconds in 2016, under 1 minute, and an average of 140 seconds in 2036. With the improvements, the average delay in 2036 is projected to be shorter than it is today.
• Federal funds will pay for 80 percent of the project cost. 
• A 2009 VDOT traffic count found an average of 20,300 vehicles a day travel through the intersection. Trucks represented 8 percent of the vehicle traffic.

Project Documents

Click Here to see the plan sheet of the intersection and its new lane assignments. 

The Virginia Department of Transportation held a public hearing on the project's final design in January 2011. Please click here to view a copy of the hearing brochure.