Interstate 81 North - Fort Chiswell to Christiansburg

I-81/U.S. 11 proceed eastward from the split with Interstate 77 toward a crossing of Reed Creek.

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Exit 84 follows as a diamond interchange with SR 619 (Major Grahams Road) south to Grahams Forge and 0.22 miles north to old U.S. 11 (Lee Highway).

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Exit 84 leaves I-81/U.S. 11 north for SR 619. SR 619 winds southward 8.9 miles to Grahams Forge along Reed Creek, Chestnut Ridge near I-77 and U.S. 52 at Galena.

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Topaz Drive (SR F045) stems east from SR 619 (Major Grahams Road) at Exit 84 as a frontage road to SR 618 (Reed Creek Road). Service Road on this sign references E Lee Highway (Old U.S. 11) to the north.

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U.S. 11 advances 13 miles to the Pulaski county seat, leaving Interstate 81 ahead at Exit 89B.

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Exit 86 joins I-81/U.S. 11 with Topaz Drive (SR 618) and old U.S. 11 (E Lee Highway).

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F044 follows E Lee Highway 10.10 miles from SR 121 to U.S. 11 south of Pulaski.

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U.S. 11 departs I-81 next for Pulaski and Dublin.

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Downtown Roanoke is located 63 miles ahead via Interstate 581 south.

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Interstate 81/U.S. 11 north enter Pulaski County ahead of the Old Baltimore Road (SR 654) overpass.

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Draper Mountain (elevation 3367 feet) rises in the distance as I-81/U.S. 11 advance to Exit 89.

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Commercial trucks to Pulaski are drected to SR 99 via Exit 94 due to the terrain along U.S. 11 between I-81 and Pulaski.

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I-81/U.S. 11 north enter Pulaski County ahead of the cloverleaf interchange (Exit 89) with SR 100 (Wysor Highway) south and Lee Highway north.

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U.S. 11 rejoins Lee Highway north into the Pulaski County seat via Exit 89B. SR 100 north joins Interstate 81 to bypass Pulaski as part of its 53.66 mile long course to SR 61 (Monroe Street) in Narrows.

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Exit 89A provides access to SR 100 (Wysor Road) south to Sylvatus. SR 100 extends 18.19 miles south to U.S. 221 (Floyd Pike) in Hillsville.

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U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) continues 3.82 miles north from I-81 over Draper Mountain onto Washington Avenue in Pulaski.

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I-81/SR 100 overlap 8.36 miles northeast to Newbern. Radford and Christiansburg follow at 22 and 27 miles respectively. SR 100 was relocated onto the freeway in 1965.¹

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Frontage roads (Draper Valley Road / Kirby Road) accompany I-81/SR 100 north to the diamond interchange (Exit 92) with SR F327 and SR F047 (Old Route 100).

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SR 658 (Delton Road) leads 4.63 miles south from Old Route 100 (SR F047) at Draper to SR 609 (Clarks Ferry Road) west of Claytor Lake along the New River.

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Exits 94A/B constitute a six-ramp parclo interchange with SR 99 (Count Pulaski Drive) north and Old Route 100 Road (SR F047).

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SR 99 is a 5.20 mile long route from Old Route 100 Road east of I-81/SR 100 to SR 738 (Robinson Tract Road) at the northern town limits of Pulaski along Randolph Avenue.

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Exit 94A departs onto adjacent Old Route 100 Road (SR F047) to McAdam and SR 672 (Lowmans Ferry Road) to Shiloh.

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Count Pulaski Highway arcs northwest around Draper Mountain onto E Main Street in Pulaski. SR 99 separates into a couplet with 3rd Street in Downtown Pulaski.

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I-81/SR 100 stay to the east of Pulaski as the freeway continues on a northerly course toward Dublin.

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The independent city of Radford is 17 miles to the northeast from SR 99 along Interstate 81.

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SR 100 parts ways with Interstate 81 at Exit 98 near Newbern. SR 100 runs 1.97 miles north through Burlington Mills to a parclo interchange with U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) near New River Community College in Dublin.

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SR 100 overlays Cleburne Boulevard north through Dublin to New River Valley Airport (PSK). SR 100 follows a mostly four lane corridor between Dublin and U.S. 460 Business at Pearisburg.

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Advancing from SR 100 (Exit 98) Interstate 81 turns eastward under SR 611 (Newbern Road).

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Interstate 81 lines the south side of Christiansburg 18 miles ahead.

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SR 660 (State Park Road) heads 6.44 miles southeast from SR 611 (Wilderness Road) to Claytor Lake. State Park Road meets I-81 at a diamond interchange (Exit 101).

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Exit 101 leaves Interstate 81 north for SR 660 (State Park Road) south to Claytor Lake State Park on the New River. SR 611 (Wilderness Road) parallels I-81 east to Mountain View.

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Roanoke is 47 miles out along Interstate 81 north.

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SR 232 forms the western half of a loop along with SR 177 into the city of Radford. SR 232 arcs 2.33 miles northeast from Exit 105 to U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) beyond Downtown.

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I-81 lowers to cross the New River ahead of the folded diamond interchange with SR 232 (W Main Street) north. The river separates Pulaski and Montgomery Counties.
Scheduled for a late 2021 completion, the 1965 built northbound span is being replaced at a cost of $62.2 million.³

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SR 605 (Little River Road) ties into SR 232 (W Main Street) just north of Exit 105. Crossing the Little River, SR 605 ventures 8.90 miles south into Pulaski County near Claytor Dam en route to SR 693 (Lead Mine Road).

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Paralleling Strouds Creek, Interstate 81 runs along the south side of Ingles Mountain and Radford.

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Continuing from Radford, Interstate 81 northbound reaches Christiansburg in 11 miles and the independent city of Salem in 34 miles.

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The Radford Safety Rest Areas precede the diamond interchange (Exit 109) with SR 177 (Tyler Road).

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VDOT closed the northbound Radford Safety Rest Area in July 2009 due to budget cuts, and subsequently reopened the facility on February 17, 2010.²

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SR 177 (Tyler Avenue) angles 4.41 miles southeast from U.S. 11 (E Main Street) at Radford University to I-81 in one half mile.

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SR 600 (Tyler Road) stems south from Exit 109, 8.41 miles to Childress and SR 787 (Indian Valley Road) near the Floyd County line.

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Interstate 81 enters Christiansburg from the southwest while U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) enters the town from Plum Creek to the west.

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The first of three exits for Christiansburg connects I-81 with SR 8 at W Main Street north and Riner Road south. SR 8 angles 0.99 miles northeast from forthcoming Exit 114 to U.S. 11 (Radford Street).

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A diamond interchange joins I-81 with SR 8 at Exit 114. Measuring 55.88 miles south from Christiansburg to Floyd and Stuart, SR 8 is part of a multi state highway with NC 8 to New London.

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Interstate 81 passes south of the Atkinson Acres and Woodlyn neighborhoods of Christiansburg en route to the upcoming exchange with U.S. 11/460 and Parkway Drive (Exits 118ABC) two miles ahead.

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A collector distributor system separates ahead of Exits 118A/B with Parkway Drive and U.S. 460 west to Blacksburg and Exit 118C for U.S. 11 north / U.S. 460 (Roanoke Street) east to Shawsville.

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Winchester appears for the first time on this distance sign posted in Christiansburg.

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U.S. 460 follows the Christiansburg Bypass northward to a freeway east of Merrimac and west of Blacksburg. The two limited access highways were joined in 2003.

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U.S. 11/460 combine for 22.25 miles east from Christiansburg through Shawsville and Elliston to Downtown Salem.

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Exit 118B provides access to U.S. 11/460 Business (Roanoke Street) via a diamond interchange just north of Interstate 81. U.S. 11/460 Business (Roanoke Street) meet I-81 directly at Exit 118C.

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Parkway Drive spurs 0.73 miles southwest from the end of the Christiansburg Bypass at Exit 118A to a business and technology park.

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Parkway Drive also connects with Falling Branch Road (SR 640) east. Severed with construction of the Christiansburg Bypass in 2001, Falling Branch Road previously continued north across I-81 to U.S. 11 (Roanoke Street).

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Exit 118B loops onto U.S. 460 west through Christiansburg to Blacksburg. Located in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech lies north of Exit 118B via U.S. 460 to Southgate Drive / Exit 6.
U.S. 460 leaves the area en route to Newport, Pearisburg and Princeton, West Virginia.

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Exit 118C follows as a six-ramp parclo interchange with U.S. 11 (Roanoke Street). U.S. 460 Business ends from the commercial strip to the west as U.S. 460 joins U.S. 11 to the east through Shawsville.

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