Interstate 81 North - Salem to Lexington

Interstate 81 angles northeast from U.S. 11/460 (Exit 118) and Christiansburg to Salem and northern reaches of Roanoke.

05/26/21

I-81 lowers to an elevation of 1800 feet as the freeway crosses a Norfolk Southern Railroad line and Den Hill Road (SR 641).

05/26/21

Interstate 81 north passes through Peddler Hollow on the ensuing stretch to Exit 128 (SR 603).

05/26/21

SR 603 (Exit 128) precedes the Ironto safety rest area two miles ahead. The Mount Sydney rest area is located ahead of Weyers Cave in 135 miles.

05/26/21

Interstate 81 traverses the Pedlar Hills ahead of Exit 128 with SR 603 (N Fork Road) to U.S. 11/460.

05/26/21

SR 603 meanders west from the diamond interchange (Exit 128) with I-81 to Ironto. SR 603 continues 2.16 miles to U.S. 11/460 east of Elliston and southwest of Lafayette.

05/26/21

The Ironto Safety Rest Area precedes the Roanoke County line on Interstate 81 north.

05/26/21

Continuing into Roanoke County, Salem and Roanoke follow in 10 and 18 miles respectively.

05/26/21

Exit 132 joins Interstate 81 with SR 647 (Dow Hollow Road) near Dixie Caverns and Riverside.

05/26/21

A diamond interchange (Exit 132) with SR 647 connects the freeway with U.S. 11/460 adjacent to Dixie Caverns and west of Glenvar.

05/26/21

SR 112 (Exit 137) connects Interstate 81 with Salem seven miles ahead. I-581 ties the freeway with central Roanoke in 15 miles.

05/26/21

A parclo interchange (Exit 137) joins I-81 with SR 112 (Wildwood Road) south and SR 619 north at the independent city of Salem.

05/26/21

SR 112 is a 0.65 mile long connector between I-81 and the commercial arterial along U.S. 11/460 (W Main Street). SR 619 (Wildwood Road) loops north of I-81, returning to Salem along Academy Street.

05/26/21

Interstate 81 straddles the Salem city line on the ensuing stretch to SR 311 (Exit 140) and SR 419 (Exit 141).

05/26/21

I-64 joins I-81 north at Lexington 53 miles ahead.

05/26/21

I-81 advances to within one mile of the parclo interchange (Exit 140) with SR 311 (Thompson Memorial Drive). SR 311 originates 1.66 miles to the south at U.S. 11 (College Avenue) and Burwell Street in Downtown Salem.

05/26/21

SR 311 continues north from Exit 140 to Catawba, New Castle and White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. SR 311 was originally an extension of the short lived U.S. 311.

05/26/21

One mile southwest of the parclo B2 interchange (Exit 141) with SR 419 (Electric Road) on Interstate 81 north. SR 419 is an arterial route south from SR 311 at Hanging Rock to Cave Spring and south Roanoke.

05/26/21

Exit 141 loops away from I-81 for SR 419 (Electric Road) north to SR 311 and south to the Salem Civic Center (via U.S. 11 Alternate).

05/26/21

SR 419 comprises a 10.54 mile long belt route encircling Roanoke south to U.S. 220 at U.S. 220 Business (Franklin Road).

05/27/21

Reentering Roanoke County from Salem, I-81 advances north alongside Loch Haven Drive (SR F071) and Green Ridge.

08/06/13

I-81 next meets I-581/U.S. 220 south at Exit 143. Part of the Future I-73 corridor, U.S. 220 travels south from Roanoke to Blue Ridge Parkway, Rocky Mount and Martinsville.

08/06/13

Interstate 581 joins I-81 with Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) and Downtown Roanoke. Construction through late 2021 adds auxiliary lanes on I-81 between SR 419 (Electric Road) and Exit 143.

08/06/13

U.S. 220 overlaps with all 6.57 miles of I-581 south from Exit 143 to Downtown Roanoke and SR 24 (Elm Avenue).

05/26/21

Relocated onto I-581 and I-81 in 1966, U.S. 220 joins Interstate 81 north for 6.5 miles. The route previously overlapped with U.S. 11 north to Cloverdale.¹

05/26/21

I-81 north passes near the town of Buchanan, located along the James River in 22 miles. Winchester lies 171 miles ahead, preceding the Maryland state line.

05/26/21

SR 115 (Plantation Road) is a 6.00 mile long arterial route south from Exit 146 to Hollins and U.S. 460, U.S. 221 and U.S. 220 Alternate (Orange Avenue) in Roanoke.

05/26/21

A diamond interchange joins Interstate 81 with SR 115 south at Exit 146.

05/26/21

SR 115 meets U.S. 11/460 (Lee Highway) north to Cloverdale, one mile south of Interstate 81.

05/26/21

I-81/U.S. 220 ascend from the diamond interchange at Exit 150 and Carvin Creek toward Tinker Mountain.

07/24/04

Located east of Exit 162, the town of Buchanan is the next population center along I-81 northbound. Weigh stations line both sides of Interstate 81 along the ensuing stretch.

07/24/04

U.S. 220 parts ways with Interstate 81 at a three quarter cloverleaf interchange outside Cloverdale. The forthcoming exchange was modified by 2016 with Exit 150A redirected onto parallel U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) southbound and Exit 150B realigned into a roundabout with U.S. 11 at Gateway Crossing.

07/24/04

U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) leads back south through Cloverdale to Hollins and Roanoke. Exit 150B joins U.S. 11 north to Troutville.

07/16/05

Gateway Crossing links I-81/U.S. 220 north to U.S. 220 ALT (Cloverdale Road) south from Exit 150B via Gateway Crossing. U.S. 220 ALT runs south to U.S. 221/460 at Bonsack and west along Orange Avenue into Roanoke.

07/24/04

U.S. 220 continues 11 miles to the Botetourt County seat of Fincastle and 37 miles to Clifton Forge and I-64. U.S. 11 continues alongside Interstate 81 to Buchanan.

07/16/05

Interstate 81 continues past Troutville to a diamond interchange (Exit 156) with SR 640 (Brughs Mill Road).

07/24/04

SR 640 leads 3.84 miles northwest from U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) to Interstate 81 and U.S. 220 (Roanoke Road) south of Fincastle.

07/24/04

Interstate 81 enters the Chesapeake Bay Watershed east of Exit 156 by the Troutdale Safety Rest Area along southbound.

07/16/05

Purgatory and Back Creek Mountains rise to the north beyond the James River.

07/24/04

U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) passes over Interstate 81 and runs along the north side of the freeway to the parclo interchange at Exit 162 west of Buchanan.

07/24/04

SR 43 (Narrow Passage Road) ties into U.S. 11 south from Eagle Rock in Buchanan. The state route continues along Parkway Drive south to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Bearwallow Gap.

07/24/04

07/16/05

Exit 162 leaves Interstate 81 north for U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) north to Main Street in Buchanan and SR 43 (Narrow Passage Road north / Parkway Drive south).

07/24/04

Interstate 81 crosses the James River on the south side of Purgatory Mountain.

07/16/05

U.S. 11 follows Main Street / Lee Highway north from SR 43 (1st Street) in Buchanan to a wye interchange with I-81. Old U.S. 11 follows the north frontage road east to the diamond interchange (Exit 168) with SR 614 (Arcadia Road).

07/24/04

SR 614 (Arcadia Road) heads 2.84 miles east from I-81/U.S. 11 at Exit 168 to Arcadia on the James River.

07/24/04

SR F054 (Frontage Road) and Lee Highway (old U.S. 11) accompany I-81/U.S. 11 north to SR 623 (Buffalo Road) near the Short Hills.

07/24/04

I-81/U.S. 11 split within Rockbridge County at Springfield and Exit 175.

07/24/04

U.S. 11 loops east into Natural Bridge and north to Lexington. Natural Bridge derives its name from the Natural Bridge Arch, which takes U.S. 11 across Cedar Creek and Cedar Creek Trail.

07/24/04

Exit 175 is a diamond interchange with a short access road returning U.S. 11 to Lee Highway east into Natural Bridge.

07/24/04

Interstate 81 advances 11.8 miles north from SR 692 at Red Mills to U.S. 60, which runs between Lexington and Buena Vista.

07/16/05

U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) converges with I-81 north from Natural Bridge at a directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 180) by Fancy Hill.

07/24/04

U.S. 11 (Lee Highway) shifts again to the north of Interstate 81 at Exit 180. Paralleling the freeway to Buffalo Creek, U.S. 11 turns westward to Buffalo Bend en route to Lexington.

07/24/04

Construction in the mid 2000s expanded Interstate 81 across Buffalo Creek.

07/16/05

A six-ramp parclo interchange joins Interstate 81 with U.S. 60 (Midland Trail) at Exits 188A/B. U.S. 60 heads west to the independent city of Lexington and east to the independent city of Buena Vista.

07/16/05

U.S. 60 (Midland Trail) runs 3.5 miles east from Exit 188A to meet the north end of U.S. 501 in Buena Vista and 8.0 miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Humphreys Gap.

07/24/04

U.S. 60 (Midland Trail) continues west from Exit 188B onto Nelson Street to Downtown Lexington. U.S. 60 parallels the I-64 corridor west from Lexington to Rupert, West Virginia.

07/24/04

Interstate 64 travels 57.23 miles east from the West Virginia line to Exit 191 through Covington and Clifton Forge.

07/16/05

Mid-2000s road work replaced the Interstate 81 bridges over the Maury River for future six lane expansion.

07/16/05

Interstate 64 leads 121 miles west to I-77 (West Virginia Turnpike) at Beckley via While Sulphur Springs and Lewisburg. I-64/77 overlap northwest to Charleston.

07/16/05

Left Exit 191 departs I-81 north for Interstate 64 west near East Lexington. Traveling west ultimately to Wentzville, Missouri, I-64 joins the Mid-Atlantic States with Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis.

07/24/04

I-81 and I-64 converge at a directional T interchange.

07/24/04