SALEM, Va. – The Virginia Department of Transportation is hosting a design public hearing project on Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Glenvar Elementary School to discuss its plans to widen I-81 between exits 128 and 137.
The $926 million project will widen I-81 to three lanes in both directions between Exit 128 in Montgomery County and Exit 137 in Salem.
The plan also includes:
- Replacing seven pairs of bridges
- Installing about five miles of noise barriers
- Adding median barrier walls along various stretches
- Improving ramps at Exits 128 and 132, including the Ironto Rest Area
The improvements come in response to significant safety concerns, with VDOT reporting more than 800 crashes along this stretch between 2019 and 2023…