VDOT News - Salem

SALEM – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) invites the public to attend a design public hearing for a project to provide additional capacity and improve safety by widening seven miles of Interstate 81 from two lanes to three lanes in both directions between exit 143 in Roanoke County and exit 150 in Botetourt County.

The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lord Botetourt High School located at 1435 Roanoke Road in Daleville. The hearing will be held in an “open-house” format, and VDOT representatives will be present to answer questions.

The widening project includes replacing eight bridges on I-81, installing approximately 8,500 feet of sound barrier along the northbound lanes, and realigning two ramps and removing one ramp at exit 150. This project will involve a change and/or break in limited access. For more information about the project, visit the website at https://www.virginiadot.org/I81exit143to150.

Comments about the project may be submitted at the hearing or until September 29, 2023, to Craig Moore, Project Manager, 731 Harrison Avenue, Salem VA 24153. You may also email your comments to I81-Exit143-150@vdot.virginia.gov. Please reference “I-81 Exits 143 to 150 Widening Public Comment” in the subject heading.

Anyone requiring special assistance to attend and participate in this meeting may contact Craig Moore at 540-387-5353, 800-367-7623, TTY/TDD 711.

The I-81 widening project between exits 143 and 150 is a part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in December 2018. The more than $2 billion package of focused improvements was funded by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law in spring 2019.

Additional information about the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program is available at Improve81.org. The website includes interactive maps and schedules and details about upcoming and current projects that are designed to improve safety, increase reliability and foster economic growth along the 325-mile I-81 corridor.

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.