Goochland seeks temporary fixes at I-64 Ashland Road interchange ahead of 2027 rebuild

Morning school runs, delivery trucks and commute traffic on Ashland Road are already feeling the squeeze at Exit 173, and Goochland County is trying to buy relief before the full interchange rebuild arrives. The county is pushing temporary fixes now, including a traffic signal at the eastbound I-64 off-ramp and an additional lane on the westbound I-64 ramp, to ease backups where drivers now stack up between Interstate 64 and Route 623.

Those short-term changes matter most to eastern Goochland, where the Rockville Opportunity Corridor has become a 3.5-mile business district with about 200 existing businesses. County materials say the corridor is growing, and an April 8, 2025 announcement said roadway and infrastructure work was planned to support developing businesses and improve access for residents and visitors. In practical terms, the temporary changes are aimed at making the ramp movements less chaotic during the morning and evening peaks, especially for drivers turning between I-64 and Ashland Road.

The larger project remains a full diverging diamond interchange rebuild at Ashland Road and I-64. Goochland County says construction is planned to start in 2027, while the Virginia Department of Transportation currently lists the project as in design with an estimated start in fall 2026 and completion in summer 2029. The project was fully funded through VDOT Smart Scale as part of the Six Year Improvement Plan adopted June 21, 2023, and county materials have described the interchange as Goochland’s top transportation priority.

VDOT’s plan would completely reshape Exit 173. The work includes widening and reconfiguring Ashland Road, building a new bridge over I-64, widening and reconstructing four ramps, adding drainage and stormwater improvements, and installing new signs, signals, lighting and pavement markings. VDOT also would move the Bennington Road and Ashland Road intersection about 675 feet north and relocate the Hickory Haven Park and Ride to the southwest quadrant of the interchange.

The temporary signal is already moving from plan to practice. VDOT said the new traffic light at Route 623 and the I-64 eastbound off-ramp was being tested and would become fully operational on October 16, giving commuters a near-term change before the bigger rebuild. The long-range goal is to keep traffic flowing through a corridor that sits about two miles west of Route 288, six miles east of Route 617 and roughly one mile north of Route 250 and Route 623, while eastern Goochland keeps growing around it.