After crossing the Potomac River from Maryland and passing the first exit along Interstate 81 southbound in West Virginia (Exit 23, Junction U.S. 11), the freeway approaches Exit 20, Junction West Virginia 901/Spring Mills Road, 0.50 mile. Photo taken 06/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 81 reaches Exit 20, Junction West Virginia 901. Use West Virginia 901 west to meet West Virginia 9 at Hedgesville and east to U.S. 11 just south of Falling Waters. It appears that in this instance, West Virginia 901 is the first spur route off of West Virginia 9 (the prefix "9" is used to refer to the parent route number rather than a suffix). Photo taken 06/01/04.
Now on the south side of Martinsburg, Interstate 81 south approaches Exit 12, Junction West Virginia 45 southwest to Glengary and West Virginia 45 east to U.S. 11 and West Virginia 9 southeast to Charles Town. Photo taken 06/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 81 at Exit 12, Junction West Virginia 45/Winchester Avenue to West Virginia 9 east. Photo taken 06/01/04.
Like Virginia, West Virginia uses a circular shield to mark secondary state routes. The next exit along southbound Interstate 81 is West Virginia Secondary Route 32/Tablers Station Road, which heads west to West Virginia 45 and east to U.S. 11 midway between Martinsburg and Inwood. Photo taken 06/01/04.
A thunderstorm swept through West Virginia's Berkeley and Jefferson Counties on this afternoon, resulting in some heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and gusts of wind. Most of the Interstate shields along Interstate 81 feature the state name. Photo taken 06/01/04.
The next (and final West Virginia) exit is Exit 5, Junction West Virginia 51 west to Glengary and east to Charles Town, two miles. Photo taken 06/01/04.
Southbound Interstate 81 approaches Exit 5, Junction West Virginia 51 west to Glengary and east to Charles Town and Inwood, one mile. Photo taken 06/01/04.
West Virginia 51 east, ends in Charles Town, but there are connections to eastbound U.S. 340 en route Harper's Ferry and Frederick, Maryland. It also connects with West Virginia 9, which changes into Virginia 9 upon entering the commonwealth. Virginia 9 connects with Virginia 7, which heads southeast to Leesburg and then toward Washington, D.C. Photo taken 06/01/04.
Interstate 81 southbound reaches Exit 5, Junction West Virginia 51. This is the last exit before Interstate 81 enters the commonwealth of Virginia. Photo taken 06/01/04.
This is the final reassurance shield along southbound Interstate 81 in West Virginia. It is also the last one to feature the state name for some distance along southbound, since nearly every shield for Interstate 81 is neutered along southbound through Virginia and Tennessee. Only West Virginia still uses the state name in the Interstate shield frequently among the six states through which Interstate 81 passes. Photo taken 06/01/04.
The first exit along southbound Interstate 81 in the state of Virginia is Exit 323, Virginia Secondary Route 669 (Frederick County). Use this exit to reach Whitehall and U.S. 11. Photo taken 06/01/04.
The exit for Exit 323 occurs just as Interstate 81 crosses from West Virginia into Frederick County in Virginia. Thus ends the brief journey of Interstate 81 through West Virginia. Photo taken 06/01/04.
