Overnight slow-roll closures will take place on Interstate 81 northbound and southbound near exit 247 in Harrisonburg.
The slow rolls (also known as rolling roadblocks) are scheduled for Monday through Thursday nights, August 25 to 28, finishing in the early morning hours of Friday, August 29. Virginia State Police will guide the slow rolls between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night.
The traffic restrictions will allow installation of new structural steel girders for the final phase of the new Route 33 (East Market Street) bridge over I-81. The work is part of ongoing construction to replace four bridges and reconfigure the I-81 exit 247 interchange.
A slow roll creates a traffic gap by reducing approaching vehicle speeds to as low as 10 mph. The gap allows large cranes to place multi-ton steel beams without vehicles traveling beneath. Traffic may also be temporarily stopped and held by a lead vehicle in each lane. Each slow roll operation typically lasts no more than 15 minutes.
The northbound I-81 slow rolls will begin at mile marker 241.6 near Mount Crawford and the southbound slow rolls will begin at mile marker 253, just north of Harrisonburg. Temporary ramp closures will be in place northbound at exit 243 (Route 11 south) and exit 245 (Port Republic Road). A temporary ramp closure will also be in place southbound at exit 251 (Route 11 north).
All work is weather permitting, and the schedule is subject to change. The Virginia Department of Transportation will provide updates as needed.
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Rebecca Barnabi
