New signs displaying variable speed limits have been placed along a 15-mile section of northbound Interstate 95 south of Washington, intended to reduce the risk of crashes as vehicles approach congestion. The signs will be activated Wednesday, displaying speeds between 35 mph and 70 mph.

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       Forty-eight of the LED speed limit signs are located in half-mile to one-mile intervals between Ladysmith and Fredericksburg, between mile markers 115 and 130, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Additional signs will be posted before mile marker 115 to alert drivers that they are entering a variable speed corridor.

       The signs will display speeds based on congestion, weather, lane closures, work zones or delays along one of the busiest stretches of highway on the East Coast. Six traffic cameras will be installed along the 15-mile corridor by this summer to assist with traffic monitoring. Message boards controlled by VDOT will indicate to motorists why speed limits have been lowered.

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       Mena Lockwood, assistant state traffic engineer for VDOT, said in a statement that the occasional lower speeds will reduce the risk of crashes and injuries while keeping traffic moving.

       “Northbound motorists approaching this area are often surprised by a sudden slowdown in traffic, and brake sharply,” Lockwood said. “By installing this variable speed limit system here, we can lower vehicle speeds before travelers reach the point of congestion.”

       When congestion clears, the signs will return to displaying the maximum speed limit of 70 mph.

       Radar detectors installed along I-95 will collect and analyze traffic data to signal when speed limits should be lowered, such as when traffic is heavy and speeds are high, according to VDOT. The detectors, which have been operational and in testing since last fall, do not identify individual vehicles or collect license plate information.

       State transportation officials say variable speed limits already have already been launched elsewhere in Virginia, including along Interstate 77 at Fancy Gap in Carroll County, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.