An approximately 6-mile stretch of Interstate 81 in Roanoke County and Salem now has three lanes running in each direction.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced on Monday the opening of the new third lanes between exit 137, where I-81 meets Virginia 112 (Wildwood Road), and exit 141, where I-81 connects with Virginia 419 (Electric Road).
Work to widen I-81 between exits 141 and 143, where I-81 meets Interstate 581/U.S. 220, was completed in 2022.
That means drivers now have three lanes northbound and southbound between exits 137 and 143.
Dave Covington, I-81 program delivery director for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said in a Monday news release that the agency “would like to thank drivers for their patience during this construction project.”
“As we continue to make improvements to enhance safety and operations along the I-81 Corridor, please continue to be patient and drive the speed limit within work zones so that everyone can return home to their families every night,” Covington said.
VDOT said the $292.5 million project also includes new bridges, intersection improvements, new interchange lighting, improved acceleration and deceleration lanes, and new sound barrier walls on the northbound lanes.
Several features — including landscaping, signage and slopes — still need work. Lane closures will continue as crews complete those parts, VDOT said.
The I-81 Corridor Improvement Program is a $4 billion effort involving more than 60 construction projects along the interstate highway’s 325 miles in Virginia.
In April, Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a construction contract to widen a 3.2-mile segment between mile marker 133.8 and exit 137.
That’s the first phase of a project to widen the highway between exits 128 and 137. VDOT anticipates work on the whole 9-mile stretch will be complete by fall 2035.
In May, VDOT announced that it had completed widening a section of I-81 between Bristol and Abingdon. Work on that project had begun in January 2024.
