Home Update: All lanes open after crash closes Interstate 81 southbound in Rockingham County
Region/State

Update: All lanes open after crash closes Interstate 81 southbound in Rockingham County

Chris Graham

interstate 81

Update: Wednesday, 9:21 p.m. All Interstate 81 southbound lanes have reopened at a multivehicle crash site near mile marker 240 in Rockingham County.

A crash involving two tractor trailers, a cargo van and two passenger vehicles blocked both southbound lanes earlier this afternoon. The incident was reported around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Traffic was backed up seven miles.

Motorists should expect delays as congestion clears the area.

Original post: Wednesday, 3:39 p.m. A crash involving two tractor trailers and two passenger vehicles has blocked both southbound lanes of Interstate 81 near mile marker 240 in Rockingham County.

The incident was reported around 2 p.m. Wednesday, and there is no estimated time for reopening southbound I-81. Traffic is currently backed up about five miles.

Drivers using southbound I-81 are being detoured at exit 240 (Mount Crawford/ Bridgewater). At the top of the off-ramp, motorists will go west on Route 257 (Friedens Church Road), south on Route 11 (Valley Pike/Lee Highway), and then east on Route 256 (Weyers Cave Road) to return to I-81 at exit 235 in the Weyers Cave area of Augusta County.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at www.511Virginia.org.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can assist with reporting road hazards, asking transportation questions, or getting information related to Virginia’s roads. Call 800-FOR- ROAD (800-367-7623) or use its mobile friendly website at my.vdot.virginia.gov/. Agents are available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week.

The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. VDOT can be followed on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT Web page is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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