Commuters know U.S. Route 1 in Northern Virginia is an alternative when Interstate 95 is snarled. And, they also know Route 1 often means stop-and-go traffic. Upcoming improvements in Stafford County should result in less stopping on what is the longest north-south road in the U.S.
Amid the county’s eight major road projects, and 35 road widening and safety improvement projects, are two directly related to Route 1, which stretches from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida.
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Today, a four-way stoplight is at the intersection of Route 1 and Courthouse Road.
More than a half-mile of Route 1 will be widened in the area to provide dedicated left-turn lanes onto Courthouse Road, at one end of the project, and at Bells Hill and Hope Road, at the other end of the project.
The section of Route 1 will become a four-lane, divided roadway, with a concrete median separating northbound and southbound traffic.
An 8-foot sidewalk will be installed along both sides of Route 1.
The nearly $20 million project, which involved acquiring and demolishing three buildings for utility relocation, is projected to be completed by winter 2023.
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Approximately 4 miles north of the courthouse, two sequential intersections on Route 1 — at Telegraph Road and Woodstock Lane — will be reconfigured, to keep traffic moving safely.
Currently, Route 1 jogs slightly where Telegraph Road connects. The intersection will be realigned, with a permanent traffic signal installed.
Today, drivers on tiny Woodstock Lane, must risk crossing two lanes of northbound Route 1, to turn left to drive south on Route 1. With the safety improvements, left turns will be eliminated.
In the nearly $10 million project, Route 1 at Woodstock Lane will be channelized — an engineering concept which separates the flow of turning traffic from main traffic lanes. In order to travel southbound on U.S. 1, traffic will have to use the new traffic signal at Telegraph Road.
The county is in the process of acquiring 12 nearby properties. Construction bidding will begin in spring 2022 — the project is expected to be completed by summer 2023.
