I know this is getting OT for this thread, but I am honestly surprised that there is very little to be seen in capacity improvements planned for I-81. There are decent sized cities along I-81 which would benefit. I guess there are many other needs in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the area around Norfolk.
Southwest VA is pretty far down on the political totem pole, so it's not surprising that needs in that area often go neglected in favor of those three metro areas, especially NoVA. The three metros certainly have needs, but they've been mostly addressed or currently being addressed, whether in the planning stages or under construction. Meanwhile, I-81 and SW VA remains largely ignored with a few bread crumbs thrown their way.
I knew he wouldn't win the GOP gubernatorial nomination, but things like this was a big reason I liked Frank Wagner. He was the only candidate that not only addressed the three metros, but he realized that there was more to the state than the three metros and addressed transportation needs there as well. But that ship has sailed and the status quo continues... 
Yep, to a lot of people over east, there isn't much beyond Charlottesville (a place that doesn't have much going for it other than the school for wayward yuppies and loser football players), although some do acknowledge that Roanoke exists. Even with a map and detailed directions, there are folks in NoVA who would be unable to find Tazewell, Norton, Grundy, Big Stone Gap, Lee County, and other places in the western half of the state. NoVA types know Blacksburg is out there somewhere but may not have a clear idea of exactly where it is located (once had someone in Manassas state "Blacksburg is just on the other side of Harrisonsburg, isn't it?" -- yeah, relative to Denver we are close to Harrisonburg). It doesn't help when our "representatives" on the CTB aren't interested in the area they are supposed to represent (see dangerous N. Main/U.S. 460 intersection in Blacksburg).
As to Wagner, he had too much other baggage to be taken seriously. He was big on keeping the Confederacy alive in Virginia but I never could get an answer on his stance on keeping Massive Resistance and celebrating Harry Byrd.
Road related: Construction has begun on the replacement of the I-81 bridges over the New River at the Montgomery/Pulaski county line.
Bruce in Blacksburg
I am pretty sure that there are things like that happening elsewhere in the United States, not just Virginia. For instance, in North Carolina, it is usually Charlotte vs. Raleigh when it comes to money for roads. Eastern coast cities, Asheville and sometimes the Triad were "ignored", but people down there acknowledges their existence, even the politics down there.
I don't know how politics work in Virginia because I am not from there... nor live in there, however I do know how SWVA feel when it comes to being ignored. Money received from Richmond (and Washington DC?) should be balanced for all regions, not based on favoritism.
If I lived in Virginia, I would vote for Frank Wagner. His ideas focused on ENTIRE state, especially SWVA. He knew SWVA needs economic boost BADLY. That is where I-73 (and widening US 58) among other projects such as Coalfields Expressway comes in. I-73 is their hope to boost their stale economy and attract jobs to that region. Most big companies want to build their in places where there is a interstate highway close, not the U.S. Routes. That is why I strongly support the state to build I-73.
I have driven though SWVA most of the time and I can see why they desperately want I-73 built down there. It is not their fault that I-73 costs around $4 billion dollars. The cost is rising (and more likely will continue to rise) because for so many years they were being neglected by the politics until the most recent voting passed last January.
The state owes it to SWVA so much for keep sending bread crumbs down their way these years.