Interstate 95 in Virginia

Interstate 95
I-95 highlighted in red
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
Major intersections	US 58 in Emporia I-295 near Petersburg I-85 / US 460 in Petersburg SR 150 / SR 895 in Bensley US 250 in Richmond US 1 / US 301 in Richmond I-64 / I-195 in Richmond US 17 near Fredericksburg I-395 / I-495 in Springfield US 1 in Alexandria
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
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Virginia Routes Interstate US Primary Secondary Byways History HOT lanes
← SR 94 → SR 96

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.

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 is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.^{[4][needs update]}

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]