Intersection improvements in Prince William County will begin in June to allow for easy access to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board has signed off on a $2.6 million contract to improve intersections at Interstate 95 and Route 1 on Joplin Road.
Elongated ramps from Interstate 95 and dedicated right- and left-hand turning lanes leading directly to Route 1’s entrance for the new $50 million museum and Heritage Center beside Quantico Marine Corps Base will be completed by Sept.. 30, “in plenty of time for the Nov. 10 opening,” said Ryan Hall, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman.
The roadwork is expected to lessen the impact of the estimated 240,000 yearly visitors on the already busy thoroughfares, according to a 2001 analysis.
The Route 1 and Joplin Road intersection has an average of 21,000 vehicles pass through a day, Hall said. Some 144,000 vehicles travel the less than three miles between Quantico and Triangle on I-95, Hall said.
Prince William County has already paid $1.2 million for the engineering of the new intersections and VDOT will pay the county back for the $2.6 million construction with federal funds, Prince William County Board of Supervisors Sean Connaughton said.
“We believe this will be a real engine in changing southern Route 1, in particular the Triangle area,” he said. “We supported [the project] financially, as well as donating the property itself.”
Marine Corps Heritage Center
» 100,000-square-foot museum
» parade grounds
» IMAX theater
»Semper Fidelis Memorial Park
» conference center
» hotel
