Under Construction: Interstate 81 Exit 17 in Abingdon (Washington County)

The project to improve Interstate 81 Exit 17 in Abingdon includes improvements to the Exit 17 northbound on and off ramps, improvements to a segment of Route 75, reconstruction and relocation of Gravel Lake Road, and relocation of the frontage road located adjacent to the northbound exit 17 off ramp (Commerce Drive). 

As part of the Interstate 81 Improvement Program, extension of the southbound acceleration lane at exit 17 was bundled with the exit 17 Smart SCALE-funded project described above. Smart SCALE is a statewide prioritization process used to objectively select transportation projects to be funded. 

The project is valued at $35 million ($32 million Smart SCALE and approximately $3 million I-81 Improvement Program).

Construction began in late February 2021. The completion of all work at exit 17 is anticipated to be fall 2022, with the southbound work that is part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan wrapping up first in summer 2021.

Benefits 

The purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow on Route 75 beneath I-81 and to improve safety on I-81 by giving more space for traffic to queue on the northbound off ramp.