FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) – Virginia has reached a deal to extend its Express Lanes on Interstate 95 another 10 miles south into Fredericksburg in an effort to relieve one of the nation’s worst traffic bottlenecks. Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the deal Wednesday with Transurban, the private company that manages a network of Express Lanes already in place throughout northern Virginia. The Express Lanes can be used for free by carpoolers. Solo drivers who want to use the lanes pay a toll that varies by traffic volume. McAuliffe said the deal won’t require any upfront money from the state. A two-mile Express Lanes extension in Stafford County opened in October. Construction begins in 2019, with completion scheduled for 2022. A traffic analysis firm recently rated this stretch of I-95 as the nation’s worst chokepoint.
