While I'm sure this is a surprise to many, significant progress has been made towards funding I-81 improvements throughout the entire state. However, tolls will likely be involved.
https://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/highway-officials-release-draft-plan-to-fix-i--for/article_c607609e-23cc-55f4-b309-a6edd5cc0d2a.htmlInterstate 81 motorists in Virginia would have fewer wrecks and spend much less time in backed-up traffic under a $2 billion upgrade proposal outlined in Roanoke Thursday.
Twenty-two capital projects are on a draft wish list developed by the Virginia Department of Transportation and scheduled for final presentation to the Commonwealth Transportation Board in December and the General Assembly in January. A new northbound lane between Christiansburg and Interstate 581 in Roanoke County would be the largest project constructed in the area.
To pay for the projects, a draft financing proposal recommends an increase in the retail sales and use tax and the motor fuels tax from Bristol to Winchester. The draft proposal also foresees tolls – but not toll booths. Toll electronics on overhead mounts at six locations about 55 miles apart would assess money from trucks and automobiles.
The study team found $4 billion in work that engineers think the road needs, but since mid-summer whittled that down to a draft wish list of the $2 billions’ worth of projects that a scoring system found would do the most to reduce wrecks and time spent in stalled traffic and commuting .
That breaks down further to spending $882 million in VDOT’s Salem district (which extends from mile marker 87 near the Pulaski County-Wythe County line to mile marker 174 between Buchanan and Natural Bridge), $886 million in VDOT’s Staunton district and $252 billion in VDOT’s Bristol district.
In addition to widening the highway in certain spots, crews would lengthen on and off ramps and make improvements on curves, such as by adding lighted curve-ahead signs.
Excluded from the $2 billion package, but included in the original $4 billion package, is a new southbound lane between mile marker 128 at Ironto and mile marker 152 north of Troutville and a northbound truck-climbing lane in Buchanan.
Valentine said repeatedly that the material presented Thursday in Roanoke was within a draft proposal subject to changes by VDOT and the transportation board before final recommendations go to Richmond. More than 2,500 comments from citizens and interested parties have so far been received, officials said.
In terms of widening, I-81 will be expanded to six lanes:
Southbound from Exit 10 to 7(Bristol)
Southbound from Exit 200 to 194(Lexington)
Southbound from Exit 225 to 217(Staunton)
Southbound from Exit 248 to 243(Harrisonburg)
Southbound from Exit 300 to 296(Strasburg)
Northbound from Exit 118 to 144(Roanoke)
Northbound from Exit 222 to 225(Staunton)
Northbound from Exit 243 to 248(Harrisonburg)
There is also around half a dozen locations where a truck climbing lane will be added. IMO the big snub here is no widening for I-81 southbound through Roanoke. Additionally, I find very difficult to believe that I-81 in the Winchester area was also not deserving of a 3rd lane. Heres the official I-81 corridor improvement plan on the Virginia CTB website:
http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/projects/major_projects/i-81_study.asp