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Alliance for the Shenandoah ValleyAlliance for the Shenandoah Valley
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Interstate 81

I-81 Corridor

Project Background

Since 2002, the Alliance legacy organizations have advocated for targeted, affordable, low-impact solutions for Interstate 81 to address the safety and congestion concerns at points along the corridor from Roanoke to Winchester.

In 2007, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved a plan to widen Interstate 81 to eight or more lanes to the tune of over $11 billion dollars to be paid for by tolls. The plan was broadly opposed by conservation groups and the public due to its enormous price tag and impacts to local business, homeowners, historic battlefields and natural resources.

And because the improvement plan for I-81 was so costly and damaging, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has not implemented solutions for much of the corridor.

Unfortunately, where projects have been completed they’ve been built to the excessive specifications outlined in the ill-conceived plan and have carried very large price tags – money that would be better spent on targeted, less expensive solutions.

In 2007 the Shenandoah Valley Network released a six-point plan addressing the real needs on I-81 while respecting the communities in the corridor. Dozens of local governments and community groups endorsed the “Reasonable Solutions for the Future of I-81.” A look at today’s I-81 issues and concern reveal these solutions are still the best fit.

In 2018, in response to an I-81 Corridor Study performed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Alliance produced Safer Solutions Sooner, a set of policy suggestions identifying improvements that don’t involve any environmental permits, no right-of-way purchases and no waiting on construction bids and are sensitive to the valuable resources that border the interstate throughout the Valley – scenic and historic landscapes, working agricultural lands and small towns.

Resources

I-81 Corridor Study

  • Final Corridor Improvement Plan
  • Plan Information
  • Alliance Comments
    • Phase 2
    • Phase 3

Related News

I-81 widening in Harrisonburg – another chance to comment
Jun 27, 2022

VDOT will host an informational meeting and accept comments on the design Tuesday, June 28, 2022, 4-7 p.m.

Chime in on I-81 Widening in Staunton
May 19, 2022

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is hosting a public meeting on Tuesday, May 24 to discuss and accept comments on the design for the widening of I-81 through Staunton.

VDOT Design for I-81 Widening in Strasburg Ready for Comment
Apr 15, 2022

The proposal adds a lane to southbound I-81 on the median side of the highway from mile marker 295 to 300 and connects to another project already in the works that extends the acceleration lane for vehicles entering southbound I-81 from westbound I-66.

Time to look at the I-81 widening plans in Harrisonburg
Sep 13, 2021

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) wants your input on the preliminary design plans for widening Interstate 81 through Harrisonburg

I-81 Widening in Staunton – chime in on the design.
Aug 19, 2021

VDOT is ready to share preliminary design plans for the first portion of Interstate 81 widening in our region associated with the Corridor Improvement Plan and they want to hear what you think.

What would a COVID infrastructure bill mean for I-81?
Apr 20, 2020

In April we teamed up with Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and sent a letter to the Valley’s federal delegation, urging a targeted and data-driven approach to any I-81 investment.

I-81 Committee Meeting 2
Nov 08, 2019

Alliance Transportation Lead Kim Sandum attended the second meeting of the I-81 Committee and had some good progress to report […]

Following the I-81 Committee
Aug 30, 2019

Our Transportation Lead Kim Sandum made the trek to Lexington to attend the first of four I-81 Committee Meetings on […]

Interstate 81 Committee Formed
Jul 26, 2019

You may remember the legislation passed earlier this year enacting the I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan included the creation of an […]

Surprise! Funding for I-81
Apr 05, 2019

We thought we were finished talking about Interstate 81 for a while when legislators adjourned the General Assembly Session, agreeing […]

Our Past Work

  • Reasonable Solutions and Background
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Get In Touch

  • Kate Wofford, Executive Director
  • Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley
  • 9485 S Congress St • PO Box 674 • New Market, VA
  • (540) 908-3914
  • info@shenandoahalliance.org

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