Schnabel Spotlight: I-95 Rappahannock River Crossing Projects
This May marks one year since the official completion of the I-95 Rappahannock River Crossing Projects, which added capacity to approximately 6 miles of I-95 near Fredericksburg. The project was actually fully open to the public earlier, in November 2023, but the official completion date was last May.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s Southbound and Northbound Rappahannock River Crossing projects were initiated to relieve congestion on one of the commonwealth’s most congested highways. These design-build projects, which added three lanes in each direction, included two new 1,200 ft long, three-span bridges crossing the Rappahannock River (constructed within the median and parallel to the existing bridges); three replacement and widened bridges over Route 17; and one new bridge over Route 17. Schnabel took a holistic approach by collaborating with all engineering disciplines and the contractor to find optimal solutions to every project challenge. New lanes and bridges were opened ahead of VDOT’s anticipated schedule and both projects were delivered on time and on budget.