Downed Power Lines Closed Interstate 95 for Two Hours
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
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A power line falling across both the north and south lanes of Interstate 95 closed the highway for hours today creating major delays for motorists.
The lines went down at 11:22 a.m. near interchange 130 at Route 3 in Fredericksburg, backing up mid-day traffic for miles. The highway was reopened about 1:40 pm.
Northbound traffic was diverted off the intestate onto U.S. 1 at exit 126 at Spotsylvania Parkway, while southbound traffic was diverted at interchange 140 at Courthouse Road in Stafford, two exits away from the incident.
Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelly Hannon said this provided for the best detour traffic flow.
It took about two hours to clear the lanes and allow traffic to move again. In the meantime, the only direct route across the Rappahannock River, U.S. 1, took much of the traffic.
Hannon says VDOT was able to use one of their pre-planned remedies for such closures, recycling the lights on U.S. 1 so traffic would not have to stop as many times.
This reporter, stuck on U.S. 1, can confirm longer green lights during the incident, but that did back up regional traffic on the side streets all the way into Fredericksburg, where drivers were forced to wait longer to get onto the main roadway.
Earlier this month, the Advance reported that there were 60 closures on the 47-mile stretch of I-95 between northern Stafford and Caroline County’s southern border between January of 2023 and December of 2024 and involving just one side of the highway.
This closure one, which shutdown the highway entirely, did not involve a motor vehicle, but it lasted longer than most of the closures during that 12-month period.
The downed power line belonged to Dominion Energy. Spokesman Craig Carper said it was a distribution line and not a transmission line, which makes for an easier fix. He said some customers might have lost power for a few minutes. He did not know why the power lines came down.
The state has been working over the last few years to clean up incidents on I-95. More cameras are being installed and the traffic signal recycling was added to help speed up traffic on alternative routes.
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