A major Interstate 95 construction project designed to improve safety and traffic flow on Courthouse Road in Stafford County, Virginia, is nearing completion.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, a new diverging diamond intersection over I-95 at Exit 140 for Courthouse Road is set to open on Dec. 7. It is part of a $195 million infrastructure improvement project for Exit 140.

Diverging diamond interchanges are intended to decrease the area in which accidents can occur by eliminating left turns. Instead, vehicles are shifted onto the other side of the road to overpass bridges, which allow drivers to merge onto highways without the need for a traffic signal.

A number of other changes will also take effect on Dec. 7.

All three travel lanes will open in the diverging diamond interchange on eastbound Courthouse Road.

A new four-lane Hospital Center Boulevard extension will open west of Route 1, connecting with the diamond interchange. The road will narrow to two westbound travel lanes before Austin Ridge Drive.

Three of the new interchange ramps will open at Exit 140, but the southbound exit ramp from I-95 to Courthouse Road will remain detoured until late December. VDOT provided a map of the detour pattern.

On Dec. 2, VDOT staff will hold a community meeting at Colonial Forge High School to inform the public about diverging diamond interchanges, the status of the Exit 140 project and answer questions. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria of the school.

Ground was broken on the I-95 interchange project in July 2017, with a projected completion date of December 2019.

The Exit 140 project is expected to be completed by July 31, 2020.