Virginia

[sprjus4]

Latest video from VDoT discussing how they're spending money on I-81 that should be spent on I-95 instead. [/sarc] (adjacent I-581 interchange)

https://youtu.be/hQJ7yx8oxgc

It's a good project, but I don't understand why they don't widen through the I-581 interchange. Regardless of local traffic volumes, I-81 needs to maintain 3 through lanes in each direction with no interruptions.

With the I-581 interchange in particular, you could also use it as an opportunity to relocate the southbound roadway to the median, allowing the existing I-581 off ramp to be located to the right side.

[froggie]

It's a good project, but I don't understand why they don't widen through the I-581 interchange. Regardless of local traffic volumes, I-81 needs to maintain 3 through lanes in each direction with no interruptions.

Two reasons.  First, there's 46K daily through traffic on I-81 through the interchange (2019 volumes).  While that is definitely not light, it is well within the capacity of 2 lanes each direction.

Second, 581 is a major enough traffic split where it makes sense for traffic to/from 581 to have its own lanes on 81.  Especially to/from 81 South.

With the I-581 interchange in particular, you could also use it as an opportunity to relocate the southbound roadway to the median, allowing the existing I-581 off ramp to be located to the right side.

On this, I would agree.

[Dirt Roads]

Latest video from VDoT discussing how they're spending money on I-81 that should be spent on I-95 instead. [/sarc] (adjacent I-581 interchange)

https://youtu.be/hQJ7yx8oxgc

It's a good project, but I don't understand why they don't widen through the I-581 interchange. Regardless of local traffic volumes, I-81 needs to maintain 3 through lanes in each direction with no interruptions.

Two reasons.  First, there's 46K daily through traffic on I-81 through the interchange (2019 volumes).  While that is definitely not light, it is well within the capacity of 2 lanes each direction.

Second, 581 is a major enough traffic split where it makes sense for traffic to/from 581 to have its own lanes on 81.  Especially to/from 81 South.

VDOT has been widening I-81 [west] of Roanoke for some time, and the segment just [west] of the I-581 junction is already showing up in early construction (ergo, grubbing and clearing) on Apple Maps (so most certainly, Google Maps is showing it as well).  The planned widening from Exit 143 to Exit 150 is just continuing that effort further north.  I-81 has already been widened from Ironto (Exit 128) -to- Dixie Caverns (Exit 132).  The other section (Exit 137 -to- Exit 143) has been under construction since the beginning of this year.  Apple Maps is not showing any construction between Dixie Caverns and Electric Road (Exit 141/VA-419) yet, but I wouldn't be surprised that it is already in progress.

http://vdot.virginia.gov/projects/salem/interstate-81-widening-exit-137-to-141---roanoke-county-and-city-of-salem.asp
https://virginiadot.org/projects/salem/interstate_81_widening_exit_141_to_143_-_roanoke_county.asp

p.s.  It's odd that these two adjacent projects are posted under two different website names for VDOT.

[Strider]

Latest video from VDoT discussing how they're spending money on I-81 that should be spent on I-95 instead. [/sarc] (adjacent I-581 interchange)

https://youtu.be/hQJ7yx8oxgc

No, I-81 needs the widening project badly. I-95 may carry a lot of out of state traffic, but I-95 is fine for now.

[sprjus4]

Two reasons.  First, there's 46K daily through traffic on I-81 through the interchange (2019 volumes).  While that is definitely not light, it is well within the capacity of 2 lanes each direction.

The vast majority of I-81 throughout the state carries around 40,000 AADT, and it all needs widening. It's not just solely volumes, it's truck volumes.

The proper long term solution IMO would be to widen to 6 lanes through the interchange, and then extend the I-581 ramps to/from the south as auxiliary lanes to Exit 141.

But I suppose in a world where 4 lanes is the acceptable lane capacity for the non-urban areas, it should not be that problematic not widening it here.

–

On a separate note about I-81, VDOT plans to widen all of northbound I-81 between Christiansburg and Roanoke to 3 lanes by around 2030, but keep southbound I-81 between Exits 137 and 128 at 2 lanes... what is the reason for this?

The entire I-81 segment between Christiansburg (Exit 118) and Roanoke (Exit 150) needs to be 6 lanes, given this segment has heavier traffic than any other part of the highway in the state.

[sprjus4]

Latest video from VDoT discussing how they're spending money on I-81 that should be spent on I-95 instead. [/sarc] (adjacent I-581 interchange)

https://youtu.be/hQJ7yx8oxgc

It's a good project, but I don't understand why they don't widen through the I-581 interchange. Regardless of local traffic volumes, I-81 needs to maintain 3 through lanes in each direction with no interruptions.

Two reasons.  First, there's 46K daily through traffic on I-81 through the interchange (2019 volumes).  While that is definitely not light, it is well within the capacity of 2 lanes each direction.

Second, 581 is a major enough traffic split where it makes sense for traffic to/from 581 to have its own lanes on 81.  Especially to/from 81 South.

VDOT has been widening I-81 [west] of Roanoke for some time, and the segment just [west] of the I-581 junction is already showing up in early construction (ergo, grubbing and clearing) on Apple Maps (so most certainly, Google Maps is showing it as well).  The planned widening from Exit 143 to Exit 150 is just continuing that effort further north.  I-81 has already been widened from Ironto (Exit 128) -to- Dixie Caverns (Exit 132).  The other section (Exit 137 -to- Exit 143) has been under construction since the beginning of this year.  Apple Maps is not showing any construction between Dixie Caverns and Electric Road (Exit 141/VA-419) yet, but I wouldn't be surprised that it is already in progress.

http://vdot.virginia.gov/projects/salem/interstate-81-widening-exit-137-to-141---roanoke-county-and-city-of-salem.asp
https://virginiadot.org/projects/salem/interstate_81_widening_exit_141_to_143_-_roanoke_county.asp

p.s.  It's odd that these two adjacent projects are posted under two different website names for VDOT.

The widening between Exit 141 and 143 has been complete. Going southbound, the left-hand ramp from I-581 continues as a third lane to Exit 141 where it drops, and going northbound a left lane is added at Exit 141, and the through right lane becomes exit only at I-581.

The ongoing construction between Exit 137 and Exit 141 would tie seamlessly into this completed section.

[VTGoose]

I-81 has already been widened from Ironto (Exit 128) -to- Dixie Caverns (Exit 132).

Sorry, no, that is still two lanes in both directions and the northbound side needs to be high on the list for a third lane. There is a grade from just past the on ramp from the Ironto rest area that slows down traffic when two truck micro-pass. The southbound side isn't a problem but would benefit from an extension of the third lane to the north side of the Ironto exit to give a little more room to deal with the start of the long climb up Christiansburg Mountain.

Is there a way to mute the bleating of bluecountry? He adds nothing to any conversation with his "I-95 or nothing" rants.

Bruce in Blacksburg

[1995hoo]

....

Is there a way to mute the bleating of bluecountry? He adds nothing to any conversation with his "I-95 or nothing" rants.

....

The forum has an "ignore list" feature. Go into your profile and find the "Buddies/Ignore List" link on the left side. Of course, you'll still see his comments when other people quote them.

[Takumi]

....

Is there a way to mute the bleating of bluecountry? He adds nothing to any conversation with his "I-95 or nothing" rants.

....

The forum has an "ignore list" feature. Go into your profile and find the "Buddies/Ignore List" link on the left side. Of course, you'll still see his comments when other people quote them.

Thanks. I never figured out how to use the ignore list in 11 years until this post. I too no longer wish to see his drivel.

[hbelkins]

....

Is there a way to mute the bleating of bluecountry? He adds nothing to any conversation with his "I-95 or nothing" rants.

....

The forum has an "ignore list" feature. Go into your profile and find the "Buddies/Ignore List" link on the left side. Of course, you'll still see his comments when other people quote them.

Thanks. I never figured out how to use the ignore list in 11 years until this post. I too no longer wish to see his drivel.

It's not a great implementation of a killfile. You will see a post with the notation "You have muted this poster" or something similar, with an option to click to show the post. It's not like Usenet, where you really didn't see the post or have any hint that it was made unless someone quoted it.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

The one that I'm unclear on is what the "buddies" list is for.

[Dirt Roads]

I-81 has already been widened from Ironto (Exit 128) -to- Dixie Caverns (Exit 132).

Sorry, no, that is still two lanes in both directions and the northbound side needs to be high on the list for a third lane. There is a grade from just past the on ramp from the Ironto rest area that slows down traffic when two truck micro-pass. The southbound side isn't a problem but would benefit from an extension of the third lane to the north side of the Ironto exit to give a little more room to deal with the start of the long climb up Christiansburg Mountain.

Is there a way to mute the bleating of bluecountry? He adds nothing to any conversation with his "I-95 or nothing" rants.

Bruce in Blacksburg

Oops!  I checked everything from Ironto -to- I-581 yesterday, and still got it wrong.  Sorry.

[MillTheRoadgeek]

95 needs to be like the NJTP, should be the first priority in VA.  Period.

Why is that so, despite the truckers on 81?

[hbelkins]

95 needs to be like the NJTP, should be the first priority in VA.  Period.

Why is that so, despite the truckers on 81?

Because he travels on I-95 more than I-81 and doesn't want to be inconvenienced by heavy traffic on 95.

[OracleUsr]

If someone is coming from the west and wants to connect to one of the major cities in the Northeast Corridor, guess what highway they are going to take.... I-81. Granted I don't have experience with I-81 in VA, but I have driven the road further north in PA and its pretty damned busy. One of the highways that splits off and heads east with a bulk of the freight traffic is I-78 and nobody is going to say that isn't a busy/major trucking route!

And I'm also on this side. I'm not the only person I know who will use I-81 from NC to NJ/NY/New England (via 78-287 or 84) to avoid I-95.

I used to live on the northwest side of DC.  All it took was stop and go traffic in NOVA when I had to get to Maryland before 3 on a Saturday and I took 81 most of the time back home to Greensboro, getting onto 220 in Roanoke.

[elsmere241]

We had a family gathering in the Finger Lakes this summer.  My brother who lives in Fayetteville, NC wound up taking I-81 south to I-77 to go home - I'm not sure which way he went from there.

[VTGoose]

More funds for the Coalfields Expressway.

"The Coalfields Expressway, a road construction project that could transform the far Southwest's economy once completed, is one step closer to moving forward with a next critical phase that seeks to widen a 2.2-mile section within the so-called Corridor Q in Buchanan County to a four-lane highway.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced Tuesday that they had secured $7 million in federal funding in the Senate appropriations bill to aid the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the design and construction stages of the project.

The tax dollars are included in a $135 million package in federal funding for Virginia that is part of the spending bill for fiscal year 2023. The legislation is set to move through the Senate Appropriations Committee later this year, followed by a vote on the Senate floor and, later, in the House of Representatives."

See https://cardinalnews.org/2022/09/13/kaine-warner-secure-7-million-for-next-coalfields-expressway-project/

[sprjus4]

Construction on a $140 million project to construct a direct flyover ramp from I-64 East (towards Bowers Hill) to VA-168 South is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2024.

This project would be the first major modification to the I-64 / I-464 cloverleaf ever since it was constructed. VA-168 and US-17 were constructed / widened to the south of cloverleaf in recent years, however it all dumped into the antiqued 1960s cloverleaf and been a source of major congestion ever since the VA-168 Oak Grove Connector was built in 1999.

I-64/I-464 Interchange Ramp Improvements

This interstate ramp improvements project will improve the interchange configuration of the ramps from Interstate 64 east to Interstate 464 north and south (exit 291) in the City of Chesapeake for a total of 1.62 miles.

Benefits

The project will construct a new ramp, providing a direct connection to Route 168 (Chesapeake Expressway). The eliminates the need to cross multiple lanes of traffic to go from the loop ramp to the split.

Major Milestones

As of summer 2022, this project is scheduled to advertise for the Request For Qualifications (RFQ) in fall 2022 and Request for Proposals (RFP) in early winter 2023.

[LM117]

We had a family gathering in the Finger Lakes this summer.  My brother who lives in Fayetteville, NC wound up taking I-81 south to I-77 to go home - I'm not sure which way he went from there.

If I was coming down I-81/I-77, I would've hopped on I-74/US-52 in Mount Airy, NC, followed that to Winston-Salem, took I-40 to Greensboro, then US-421 to Sanford, and followed NC-87 to Fayetteville.

[bluecountry]

95 needs to be like the NJTP, should be the first priority in VA.  Period.

Why is that so, despite the truckers on 81?

Because he travels on I-95 more than I-81 and doesn't want to be inconvenienced by heavy traffic on 95.

Because I-95 is severely over capacity, it is one of the worst bottlenecks in the country, it connects and serves the nation's capital, megalopolis, and northeast to FL traffic. 

[bluecountry]

More funds for the Coalfields Expressway.

"The Coalfields Expressway, a road construction project that could transform the far Southwest's economy once completed, is one step closer to moving forward with a next critical phase that seeks to widen a 2.2-mile section within the so-called Corridor Q in Buchanan County to a four-lane highway.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced Tuesday that they had secured $7 million in federal funding in the Senate appropriations bill to aid the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the design and construction stages of the project.

The tax dollars are included in a $135 million package in federal funding for Virginia that is part of the spending bill for fiscal year 2023. The legislation is set to move through the Senate Appropriations Committee later this year, followed by a vote on the Senate floor and, later, in the House of Representatives."

See https://cardinalnews.org/2022/09/13/kaine-warner-secure-7-million-for-next-coalfields-expressway-project/

Waste of money.  Boondoggle as Streetsblog would say.

[1995hoo]

Forget 85 mph on I-366. This guy went a little faster.

https://twitter.com/FairfaxCountyPD/status/1571876878230913026

[plain]

I know VA 28 is a straight stretch for the most part but damn lmao if the driver wants to open it up so bad then we do have a place called Virginia Motorsports Park

[LM117]

More funds for the Coalfields Expressway.

"The Coalfields Expressway, a road construction project that could transform the far Southwest's economy once completed, is one step closer to moving forward with a next critical phase that seeks to widen a 2.2-mile section within the so-called Corridor Q in Buchanan County to a four-lane highway.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, D-Va., announced Tuesday that they had secured $7 million in federal funding in the Senate appropriations bill to aid the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the design and construction stages of the project.

The tax dollars are included in a $135 million package in federal funding for Virginia that is part of the spending bill for fiscal year 2023. The legislation is set to move through the Senate Appropriations Committee later this year, followed by a vote on the Senate floor and, later, in the House of Representatives."

See https://cardinalnews.org/2022/09/13/kaine-warner-secure-7-million-for-next-coalfields-expressway-project/

Waste of money.  Boondoggle as Streetsblog would say.

Agreed. That money should go to I-81 instead.

[Strider]

95 needs to be like the NJTP, should be the first priority in VA.  Period.

Why is that so, despite the truckers on 81?

Because he travels on I-95 more than I-81 and doesn't want to be inconvenienced by heavy traffic on 95.

Because I-95 is severely over capacity, it is one of the worst bottlenecks in the country, it connects and serves the nation's capital, megalopolis, and northeast to FL traffic.

Sorry, there are HOV (or HOT?) lanes being built over there... you can take them.