Governor Spanberger Breaks Ground on $219 Million Widening of Interstate 81 in Harrisonburg

Project Improves Safety, Reduces Congestion, and Supports Economic Growth
HARRISONBURG, VA — Governor Abigail Spanberger today joined state and local leaders to break ground on the widening of more than six miles of Interstate 81 in the Harrisonburg area. The $219 million project will add a third lane in each direction and replace nine bridges over the interstate.

“I-81 is a major north-south backbone not only for Virginia, but for the entire freight network of the East Coast,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “Modern, reliable infrastructure is essential to supporting local economies up and down the Shenandoah Valley, and I am proud to celebrate this investment alongside local leaders. I know this expansion will make a difference in the lives of the Virginians who rely on 1-81 every day.”
 
The I-81 corridor runs 325 miles through Virginia and accommodates 21 million commercial trucks hauling more than $300 billion worth of goods each year. The I-81 CIP includes 65 capital projects such as additional travel lanes, interchange improvements and truck-climbing lanes.
 
“This is among the largest and most ambitious projects in the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program (CIP),” said Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue. “By enhancing safety and traffic flow along this critical corridor, we are committing to helping foster continued economic growth in the Shenandoah Valley.”
 
“We currently have 17 projects under construction — the most activity anyone has seen since the interstate was originally built 60 years ago,” said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich. “VDOT is less than seven years into the I-81 CIP and we’ve already completed 40 of the 65 planned construction projects.”
 
Dozens of construction projects and hundreds of individual traffic-operations enhancements have already been completed as part of the I-81 CIP. The program also supports multimodal improvements in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
 
Widening projects in Bristol and Salem will finish by this summer, the Staunton widening project is expected to complete next summer, while new ones near Roanoke and Harrisonburg are in their early stages. The Harrisonburg widening is scheduled for completion in 2032, but motorists will be using the new travel lanes by late 2031.
 
The I-81 CIP, currently valued at about $4 billion, is funded by regional fuels taxes and Virginia’s Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program. Project updates and other information about the I-81 CIP can be found at Improve81.org.