VDOT is looking at the next round of funding for projects on I-81. Frankly, it’s a little hard to weigh in right now because the series of projects funded through the current I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan (CIP) are still under construction. We don’t yet know how these projects, when complete, will improve the corridor. Plus the disruption of construction makes it difficult to assess future needs.
But the Alliance plans to submit public comments and we encourage community members to do the same. Our comments urge VDOT to avoid costly over widening by addressing specific safety and congestion hot spots with targeted improvements and emphasizing low cost operational improvements (like reducing speeding, curve warnings and rapid-towing incentives).
Here is the link to the online survey with an interactive map and additional comments can be submitted to va81corridorplan@vdot.virginia.gov. This is the first phase of the study and comments are due by April 15. A series of public meetings is slated for this summer.
The Alliance will be following this process closely, working to ensure that Interstate 81 improvements address safety and reliability without encroaching on the valuable resources that border the interstate throughout the Valley—scenic and historic landscapes, working agricultural lands and our small towns.