The latest in Virginia Megaprojects’ series of massive transportation facelifts for Northern Virginia is taking shape in Lorton this week, as VDOT announced several major road closures on Interstate 95 slated for the upcoming months.

The road closures signify VDOT’s advancement toward the completion of the first phase of construction on its project to add a fourth lane to Interstate 95 between Fairfax County Parkway and Route 123. The first phase, which is to add a fourth lane on Interstate 95 north from Route 1 to Fairfax County Parkway, is expected to be completed with the road open to the public in December.

“There isn’t the funding to do a massive overhaul, so we have to do it one piece at a time,” said VDOT spokesman Steve Titunik. “In the next 90 days, we have an awful lot of work at night.”

Construction on the $123 million, 6-mile long project began in March 2008 in the hopes of relieving the congestion to and from the Springfield Interchange that has plagued the area due to the growing number of vehicles on the road. According to project manager Charlie Warraich, 230,000 vehicles a day use Interstate 95 in the Lorton area, leading to frequent bottlenecks.

“The purpose of the project is to get rid of the heavy buildup of traffic in the area,” Titunik said. “There was a time when it was simply bad, but now, it’s terrible.”

Titunik said that lane closures can be expected throughout the upcoming months, with major closures taking place on a number of predetermined days. On Sept. 2 and 3, traffic was shifted for bridge widening on Interstate 95 southbound at Lorton Road, which would result in 30-minute delays. From Sept. 8 through late October, milling and paving will take place on northbound Interstate 95 from Route 1 to Lorton Road, and one or more lanes would be closed Sundays through Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., resulting in 30-minute delays.

On Sept. 21 and 22, overhead signs between Route 1 and Lorton Road would be replaced. Titunik said that on both nights, two of three lanes will be closed at 10:30 p.m., and all lanes will be stopped for up to 30 minutes after midnight and again between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. The final segment of the first phase will take place in mid-October, as bridge widening on southbound Interstate 95 at Newington would close one or more lanes at night.

According to Warraich, on the nights when all lanes are closed on Interstate 95, VDOT will not be creating any official detours. Warraich said that VDOT could not find a suitable detour that could accommodate all vehicles, and as a result, motorists will have to rely on their own routes to avoid the construction or simply have to deal with the delays.

“The challenge [for a detour on Route 1] is that Route 1 cannot accommodate trucks,” Warraich said. “There is a 13-foot, 6-inch clearance on that road, and trucks cannot make that. When you have a detour, you have to accommodate all traffic, and we don’t want trucks getting stuck [on Route 1.”

VDOT expects the two remaining phases to be completed by the end of 2011. The second phase, adding a fourth lane on Interstate 95 south between Fairfax County and Route 1, will be completed by fall 2010. The third and final phase, adding the fourth lane on north and southbound Interstate 95 from Route 1 to Route 123, is slated for completion in fall 2011. In the meantime, Titunik asked for the public’s patience as VDOT works to solve traffic issues and to improve the quality of life of Northern Virginians.

“We’re really happy about the project,” Titunik said. “We can’t do it in one piece, so it’s more of a tapestry, and we ask that people to stay in touch with us.”