The Commonwealth Transportation Board today awarded a $146.6 million contract to rebuild the Route 1 interchange, the next phase of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. Initial work is scheduled to begin in mid-January.

Rebuilding the Route 1 Interchange is needed to improve mobility and safety in concert with the rest of the Wilson Bridge Project. The contract includes the construction of several bridges and interchange ramps at Route 1 and the Capital Beltway, mainline roadway pavement, ground improvement, noise barriers, drainage systems, utility relocations, traffic systems, signs, roadway lighting and landscaping. It also includes the reconstruction and widening of a three-quarter-mile stretch of Route 1 (Richmond Highway) from Fort Hunt Road to Huntington Avenue in Fairfax County. Concurrent with several other project contracts, the contract is scheduled to be completed in mid-2009.

VDOT and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project will continue to work to keep traffic moving during Route 1 construction. Project traffic managers will work closely with contractors, law enforcement and neighboring communities to help get commuters, truckers and tourists safely through the construction zone. Major work will be performed during non-rush hours and VDOT will work diligently to minimize day-to-day impacts on motorists during the next several years of construction.
The $146.6 million contract is 7.8 percent below the estimate. Tidewater Skanska, Inc. of Virginia Beach is the contractor for the project. Tidewater led the joint venture that built foundations for the new bridge - a $125 million job that was completed last summer on schedule and on budget.

The Wilson Bridge Project is reconstructing 7.5 miles of the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495). In addition to replacing the mile-long bridge, the project is reconstructing four interchanges -- Route 1 and Telegraph Road in Virginia, and I-295 and MD 210 in Maryland -- and making improvements to the Capital Beltway.

Page last modified: Nov. 20, 2003