VDOT: Four meetings this week to get input on I-81 improvements

Four public meetings will be held this week by the Virginia Department of Transportation to gather feedback about potential improvements along Interstate 81 in Virginia.  

The in-person meetings are part of the third and final round of public engagement for the I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan (CIP) 2025 study. This round focuses on refining solutions and presenting a prioritized list of projects. 

The first round, which focused on issue identification, combined traffic data with online public input to identify safety and congestion issues along the 325-mile corridor. Round two was about potential solutions, developed improvements for interstate segments with the highest rate and severity of crashes, or the most significant traffic delays.  

This study excludes portions of the interstate where widenings or truck-climbing lanes were recently completed or are under development.  

The meetings will begin with a brief presentation followed by an open house, which allows those attending to view large display boards and ask questions of the study team.  

Those who want to participate in the online survey, available from Oct. 27 to Nov. 9, can do so at the Improve 81 Study Page. 

Comments can also be sent to va81corridorplan@vdot.virginia.gov or by postal mail to Robert J. Williams, Virginia Department of Transportation, 1221 East Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219. 

The I-81 CIP study is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Feedback is important to developing a new corridor plan, according to a VDOT news release. 

This study is being conducted as part of the Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program, which is meant to improve safety, reliability and travel flow along interstate highways in the commonwealth through the development and funding of operational and capital improvements, the release states. 

VDOT completed a similar study on I-81 in 2018, which resulted in 65 construction projects currently valued at approximately $4 billion, according to VDOT.

In VDOT’s Bristol District, where I-81 runs 86 miles through three counties, 27 projects have been built, including truck climbing lanes, interstate widening and many smaller ramp extension projects. 

Projects funded by the CIP that are currently under construction include the widening of southbound I-81 between Exits 7 and 10. The project will include the widening of one mile.

In Wytheville this fall, construction began on a bundle of projects that include multiple improvements near where I-81 at Wytheville meets I-77 northbound toward West Virginia, including off- and on-ramp extensions, multiple bridge replacements and construction of an auxiliary lane between southbound I-77 Exit 41 and the I-81 southbound off-ramp.

Currently, there are a number of I-81 improvements underway in VDOT’s Bristol District, including the widening of the southbound lanes from two to three lanes between Exit 7 and Exit 10. The project started in August 2023.