The Virginia Department of Transportation will perform critical bridge deck rehabilitation work on the southbound Interstate 81 bridge over the North Fork of the Shenandoah River.
The location of the bridge work will be just south of Interstate 81 exit 269 near Shenandoah Caverns and north of New Market in Shenandoah County.
Single lane closures will happen continuously over approximately 72 hours starting Sunday night, May 11 and continuing into the evening on Tuesday, May 13. The closures will be around-the-clock with work during nighttime and daytime hours.
All work is weather permitting.
Trucks with wide loads will not be allowed through the work zone and must find alternate routes.
Virginia State Police will be stationed within the work zone and the Town of New Market will provide law enforcement for traffic management.
On southbound I-81 at mile marker 269 the left lane will be closed Sunday, May 11, at 5 p.m. until Tuesday night. Depending on work progress and temperatures, the lane closure may extend into Wednesday morning.
The bridge concrete work must be completed within a specific temperature range to ensure the quality and durability of the repair. The extended work hours take advantage of optimal temperatures while maximize repair progress prior to holiday and summer vacation traffic.
The work on the bridge right lane was successfully completed prior to noon on Tuesday, May 6. That work began on Sunday evening, May 4 and featured the day and night continuous single lane closures. Motorists should expect the lane height of the completed right lane on the bridge deck to differ from the still-to-be completed left lane. As VDOT completes the southbound deck work, crews will survey the bridge deck elevations and precisely control the placement of the concrete surface needed for a smooth and safe ride.
After May 20, work will continue only during the warmer nighttime hours and avoid the need for further daytime lane closures.
Work is anticipated for the northbound bridge with work hours and traffic restrictions to be announced in the coming weeks.
The I-81 northbound and southbound bridges over the North Fork of the Shenandoah River have received repeated temporary deck patching. The patching cannot sustain permanent levels of interstate traffic and is approaching the end of service life. Funding for permanent deck rehabilitation work became available in spring 2025. Executing the critical bridge deck rehabilitation now will extend the bridge service life and avoid the necessity for more extensive and disruptive repairs.
The Staunton District manages approximately 2,400 major structures including bridges and box culverts and approximately 942.26 lane-miles of I-81.
Updates will be posted on the news section of the VDOT website.
Related stories:
Shenandoah County: Single-lane closures overnight for I-81 bridge work
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Rebecca Barnabi
