The Virginia Department of Transportation will hold a design public hearing concerning the construction of truck climbing lanes on Interstate 81 in Augusta and Rockingham counties. The project also includes interchange improvements at exit 235 (Route 256/Weyers Cave Road). The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, at Blue Ridge Community College, Plecker Center for Continuing Education, One College Lane, Weyers Cave, VA 24486.
This will be an open-forum public hearing. Citizens can come in during the meeting hours and discuss the project on a one-on-one basis with VDOT officials and designers. Written comments can be submitted at the meeting or within 10 days after the meeting date to Jennifer Hoover, P.E., Project Manager. Virginia Department of Transportation, 811 Commerce Road, Staunton, VA 24401-9029. Oral comments can be recorded at the meeting with the assistance of a court reporter.
This project adds a third lane to northbound Interstate 81 from mile marker 234.1 to 237.7, and southbound I-81 from mile marker 237.9 to 234.2. The project is primarily in northern Augusta County near Weyers Cave but extends about a mile into southern Rockingham County. The widening provides truck climbing lanes to the right side in each direction to reduce the likelihood of trucks slowing in the primary travel lanes on the steep grades. To minimize impacts, widening is to occur primarily to the inside and within existing right-of-way.
Little to no reconstruction of the existing travel lanes is anticipated. Some shoulder widening and reconstruction will be required for temporary traffic control. The northbound and southbound bridges over Naked Creek will be widened and rehabilitated.
This project also includes improvements at the interchange of I-81 and Route 256 (Weyers Cave Road) at exit 235. Specifically, the northbound and southbound deceleration lanes (off-ramps) and northbound acceleration lane (on-ramp) will be lengthened.
In 2019 I-81 through Weyers Cave had an average daily traffic count of 56,800 vehicles. By the design year of 2046 the estimated average daily traffic volume is 76,700 vehicles.
The total estimated cost for this project is $127.2 million, including $10.8 million for preliminary engineering, $1.6 million for right of way and $114.9 million for construction.
Additional information about the Weyers Cave truck climbing lanes project is found on the VDOT website at: https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/staunton/interstate-81-weyers-cave-truck-climbing-lanes-and-exit-235-improvements.asp.
The project is part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program (CIP), which aims to improve safety, increase reliability and foster economic growth along the 325-mile corridor. The I-81 CIP was approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in December 2018. The $2 billion package of targeted improvements was funded by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law in spring 2019. More information about the program is available at Improve81.org.
Photo: Getty Images