FREDERICKSBURG – Route 17 northbound will remain reduced to a single lane at the bridge over Dragon Run, located at the Gloucester County and Middlesex County line, due to upcoming construction to replace this bridge starting in March 2026.
A vehicle crash damaged a section of bridge rail and guardrail at the northbound Route 17 bridge over Dragon Run on Dec. 10, 2025. “Based on recent and repeated bridge strikes occurring at this location, for traveler safety the right lane will remain closed until the bridge replacement project begins this upcoming spring,” said Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Saluda Residency Administrator Lee McKnight. “It also avoids investing in another repair just before the bridge is removed and replaced.”
Work zone barriers separate the left lane of Route 17 northbound from the closed right lane and the impacted bridge rail and guardrail.
The northbound left travel lane is 14 feet wide.
Southbound Route 17 traffic crosses Dragon Run on a separate bridge and both southbound lanes remain open.
Construction will mobilize in March 2026 to replace the Route 17 northbound bridge over Dragon Run. When the $14.6 million project is complete in December 2027, the new bridge will be wider, taller, and longer than the existing bridge, which was built in 1931.
During construction, Route 17 northbound and southbound will both be reduced to a single lane at Dragon Run. Northbound and southbound traffic will use the southbound bridge to cross Dragon Run while the new northbound bridge is being built. One lane of Route 17 will always remain open in each direction.
Around 12,000 vehicles a day travel Route 17 in this area, according to a 2024 VDOT traffic count.
