Home Augusta County: Left lane closures, slow-roll traffic necessary on I-81 for bridge work
Local News

Augusta County: Left lane closures, slow-roll traffic necessary on I-81 for bridge work

Rebecca Barnabi
road
(© John Alphonse – stock.adobe.com)

Bridge work on Interstate 81 in Augusta County requires overnight left lane closures and slow-roll traffic control on the nights of September 9 and 10, 2024.

The traffic restrictions will allow construction of the new Route 635 (Barterbrook Road) bridge over I-81 between mile marker 220 and 221 near Staunton.

Details are as follows:

Monday and Tuesday nights (September 9-10)

Between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., southbound I-81 will close periodically for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Virginia State Police will manage slow-roll traffic control on southbound I-81 between exits 225 and 220 in the Staunton area, and on westbound I-64 between exit 91 (Fishersville) and the I-81 interchange.

Southbound I-81 left-lane closures are scheduled for 8-11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday nights, and from 5-7 a.m. early Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

A slow roll is a traffic management operation where a traffic gap is created by reducing approaching traffic speeds to as low as 10 mph. The gap allows work, such as bridge beam placement, to safely take place free of live traffic. Traffic can also be temporarily stopped and held by a lead vehicle in each lane.

All work is weather permitting, and the schedule is subject to change.

The Route 635 overpass bridge replacement is part of a project to construct a new auxiliary lane on southbound I-81 between exit 221 (I-64 junction) and exit 220 (Route 262 south). Route 635 in the area of the bridge over I-81 is closed through mid-2025 due to the bridge replacement. Detour routes and information are on the VDOT project page.

The project is part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program (CIP), to improve safety, increase reliability and foster economic growth along the 325-mile corridor in Virginia.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.