An expanded Route 17 in Stafford County is now open, with three through travel lanes in each direction between Interstate 95 and Stafford Lakes Parkway.
Construction is near completion on a three-year, $47.2 million widening of Route 17. The highway was expanded from four lanes to six lanes over nearly two miles between McLane Drive and Stafford Lakes Parkway.
Construction began in June 2013. New travel lanes are opening to traffic approximately three months ahead of the required completion date of December 1, 2016.
Final construction tasks will be underway for several weeks. The 35 miles-per-hour reduced speed limit signs will be removed upon final completion.
Other features added by the Route 17 widening project:
– A continuous right turn lane to assist drivers slowing to turn into businesses, or accelerating to rejoin the through travel lanes.
– Double left turn lanes at high-demand intersections to move additional vehicles through intersections on each cycle, reducing driver delay.
– New traffic signal equipment at each intersection, replacing signal equipment dating to the late 1990s-early 2000s.
– LED traffic signals with a battery back-up power source, allowing the signal to stay operational for several hours even with power loss.
– Signal equipment that connects to a master controller, which picks up on malfunctions faster, alerting technicians to make adjustments.
– Signals with pre-emption equipment for public safety vehicles to trigger during emergencies.
– Sidewalk along Route 17 northbound and southbound.
– Landscaping and medians with a stamped concrete pattern.
Some 39,000 vehicles a day travel on Route 17. This is projected to grow to a daily travel volume of 96,000 vehicles a day by 2035.
The project contractor was Henderson Construction Company, Inc., of Stafford, Va.
