The story so far: Three projects are slated for Fall Hill Avenue--the canal bridge replacement, Fall Hill Avenue widening and Interstate 95 bridge replacement, and the extension of Mary Washington Boulevard to Fall Hill.

First up is the canal bridge. This project will replace the current structure with a two-lane bridge with sidewalks. The bridge will be elevated to allow for a pedestrian path to go beneath it. The gravel lot will be paved.

Another, much bigger project is the Fall Hill widening and bridge replacement project. This project will widen Fall Hill to four lanes from the canal bridge to the western end of the I-95 bridge.

The Mary Washington Boulevard project will extend that road to Fall Hill Avenue.

Outlook: Work on the canal bridge replacement, estimated to cost between $2.86 million and slightly more than $3 million, is scheduled to start in January 2013 and end in November 2013.

The Fall Hill widening and I-95 bridge replacement timeline is not clear at this point, but a public hearing is planned for this summer. The Virginia Department of Transportation will assume control of the project from Fredericksburg at that point.

VDOT plans to acquire right-of-way property in 2014 with construction possibly beginning in 2015. There is no estimate on how long the project will take.

The Mary Washington Boulevard extension could be done at the same time as the Fall Hill widening, but that has not yet been determined.

--Scott Shenk

FALMOUTH INTERSECTION

The story so far: The infamous intersection has been a pain for decades, and plenty of fixes have been bandied about.

Now it finally looks like the intersection will be fixed.

The $25 million project will add eight turn lanes to the four-way intersection at U.S. 1, U.S. 17 and Butler Road. New medians, stone walls and trees also will be added to the intersection.

Outlook: The project's design has been approved by federal transportation authorities, and the Virginia Department of Transportation is working on acquiring 27 properties around the intersection. VDOT plans to have the properties cleared by the end of this year.

Construction could begin by early 2014. The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

--Scott Shenk

GERMANNA'S STAFFORD CAMPUS