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       The 10-mile extension of the 95 Express Lanes to Fredericksburg is on track for opening next month, Virginia transportation officials announced Friday.

       The expansion of the reversible toll lane system is another milestone in Virginia’s plan to create a network of dynamic tolling. With the addition, Northern Virginia will have more than 95 miles of express lanes, including 49 miles along the Interstates 95 and 395 corridor stretching from the D.C. line to Fredericksburg.

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       An opening date hasn’t been announced.

       The high occupancy toll lanes have changed traffic patterns along Northern Virginia’s Interstates 66, 95, 395 and 495. The state is poised to open an additional 2.5 miles of the 495 Express Lanes in 2025, while it is studying 11 more miles to complete its portion of the Capital Beltway.

       Virginia built 86 miles of express lanes. Will Maryland follow?

       The Fredericksburg extension, a public-private partnership project between Virginia and toll operator Transurban, will open more than a year behind schedule and with a $670 million price tag — up from the original estimate of $565 million. The project was caught up in a contractual dispute over soil conditions midway through construction, which officials said altered the timeline and budget. Transurban is financing the project.

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       Transurban North America Senior Vice President Amanda Baxter said the company is “excited to deliver faster, safer travel to Stafford and Fredericksburg.”

       The toll operator is extending the reversible 95 Express Lanes from Route 610 in the Garrisonville area to Route 17 near Fredericksburg. Project officials say the extension will increase lane capacity by 66 percent in the peak travel direction along one of the region’s most congested stretches of the highway.

       Virginia Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen Brich said in a statement that the new lanes will provide “immediate congestion relief and time savings” to travelers this summer.

       Once the lanes open, carpoolers will be allowed to ride free, while solo drivers can use them at a cost. Motorcycles and buses can also use the lanes at no cost.

       Here is Virginia’s plan to grow its network of express lanes in 2023

       Additional new access points to and from the toll lanes near Marine Corps Base Quantico and Courthouse Road will open later this year, officials said.

       Transportation officials say the corridor will remain a construction zone for months, including for work on an expansion at the Rappahannock River crossing that is expected to be completed next year. Median and shoulder work is also expected to continue.

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