The Virginia Department of Transportation is planning a traffic change in the Route 221 work zone in Bedford County near Forest.  Motorists should pay attention to signs and expect possible changing traffic patterns on Route 221 over the next two to three weeks.  The exact date of the traffic change has yet to be determined because it is weather dependent.

The change will affect Route 221 traffic between Route 609 (Rustic Village Road) and Route 1485 (Ambassador Drive).  The one lane of traffic that currently is open in each direction will be shifted from existing Route 221 onto newly constructed roadway.  Once shifted, traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction. 

Before this traffic change can be made, some additional paving and pavement marking must be completed.  The warm and dry weather needed for these activities is forecasted over the next few weeks, but VDOT does not know the exact date that this work can be done or exactly when the traffic change can be made.

This traffic shift is part of work that is underway to widen a 2.2-mile section of Route 221 from just west of the Norfolk Southern Railroad to east of Route 663 west of Forest.  The speed limit through this area remains reduced to 35 mph.

Work on the Route 221 widening will continue into late 2009.

Questions about the traffic change may be directed to VDOT’s Northern Construction Area Office at 540-387-5491. 

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.