SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) – Five miles of newly improved roadway along Interstate 81 through Roanoke County and Salem are now open to traffic, bringing long-awaited relief to tens of thousands of daily commuters.
On average, more than 75,000 drivers travel this stretch each day. For years, all of that traffic was squeezed into just two lanes, creating persistent bottlenecks and safety concerns.
“Oh, it backed up a lot,” said local driver Johnny Landram. “You could tell that’s the reason they were widening it, and it is so much easier to get down through there.”…