The House-Passed Funding Would Make Capacity Improvements to the I-95/Route 1 Exit 126 Interchange & Construct a New 1-Million-Gallon Water Tower

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s legislation that would provide $4,616,279 for Spotsylvania County to increase capacity and safety along the I-95 corridor and help construct a new 1-million-gallon water tower to serve residents of the county and the City of Fredericksburg.

This investment — which Spanberger secured as part of a House-passed fiscal year (FY)2024 appropriations package — includes $4,116,279 to provide safety and capacity improvements to the I-95/Route 1 Exit 126 interchange area. This area sees one of the highest rates of vehicle crashes in the Fredericksburg region and across the Commonwealth, with traffic incidents routinely delaying traffic on I-95 and Route 1. These federal dollars would help construct a dual left turn from Route 1 northbound to I-95 northbound, widen the I-95 northbound onramp to two lanes, build an approximately 1,500-foot acceleration lane continuing for the onramp, and make additional improvements to Route 1 southbound through the Exit 126 interchange. Additionally, these investments would improve access from I-95 to the future Fredericksburg Veterans Affairs’ Health Care Clinic, which will provide much-needed care to Virginia Veterans.

Spanberger also secured $500,000 to design and construct a new 1-million-gallon water tower to replace the existing 250,000-gallon tank. Spotsylvania County currently provides water to approximately 100,000 residents of Spotsylvania and an additional 30,000 residents of Fredericksburg. As the Massaponax and Thornburg areas of Spotsylvania County and the surrounding areas continue to experience consistent population growth, this project would increase capacity, help serve growing residential and commercial demands, and provide more fire flow duration. Spanberger secured $3,000,000 for the new water tower during FY2023 appropriations — which President Biden signed into law at the end of 2022.

“I’ve been proud to work with Spotsylvania County leaders and officials to secure these federal investments — which include more than $4 million for improvements along the I-95 corridor. As someone who frequently drives on I-95, I know that investments in this vital artery are investments in moving our Commonwealth forward and keeping thousands of Virginians safe on the road. This project will also improve access to the future Fredericksburg VA healthcare clinic and better connect our local Veterans with new resources in their community,” said Spanberger. “I’m also proud to continue making progress on the construction of a new water tower to support the region’s growth and infrastructure needs — having secured $3.5 million in total federal funds for this much-needed project. Thank you to Spotsylvania County for your commitment to serving your communities and for working with our team to make these improvements a reality.”

“We are grateful to Rep. Abigail Spanberger and her staff for helping secure federal community project funding for infrastructure projects that will serve our region for many years to come,” said Ed Petrovitch, Spotsylvania County Administrator. “The $4.1 million awarded for the I-95 Exit 126 project will assist in transforming transportation infrastructure in the Fredericksburg region near the new Veterans Affairs health care clinic by improving safety and capacity in the congested interchange area. In addition, the $500,000 in federal funding advances the Massaponax elevated water storage tank project. Once complete, the elevated storage tank will provide 1 million gallons of potable water storage, giving us the ability to meet growing demand and deliver the best quality drinking water that meets all state and federal standards, as well as provide for improved fire protection for the Massaponax and Thornburg areas.”

Spanberger worked directly with Spotsylvania County to make sure the projects were included in this federal funding legislation. The FY2024 appropriations package now goes to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

BACKGROUND

For FY2024, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2023. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in localities across Virginia’s Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

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