Salem District Traffic Alert: Southbound Route 220 lane closures at International Parkway in Botetourt County

SALEM — Weather permitting, on Wednesday, Aug. 7, major traffic changes will go into effect as part of an ongoing road construction project at the intersection of Route 220 and Route 839/Route 1126 (International Parkway/Ashley Way) in Botetourt County.

Ahead of these changes, between noon on Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, the right lane of southbound Route 220 at the intersection will be closed and both directions of International Parkway will be reduced to one lane.

Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 7, the left lane of southbound Route 220 will be closed and will remain closed until later this year. In addition, northbound Route 220 traffic will remain reduced to one lane but will be shifted into the right lane. A 45 mph work zone speed limit will go into effect on southbound Route 220 and remain in effect on northbound Route 220.

Also on Aug. 7, a new traffic pattern will be put in place on Ashley Way and International Parkway. Drivers will not be able to turn left from Ashley Way onto southbound Route 220 or turn left from International Parkway onto northbound Route 220. Motorists who normally turn left can turn right and proceed to make a U-turn on Route 220 using an available crossover.

An alternative route is available for International Parkway traffic that normally turns left onto northbound Route 220. Those drivers can turn right on southbound Route 220, turn left onto Route 673 (Greenfield Street) and then turn left onto Route 670 (Trinity Road) to return to northbound Route 220. 

These traffic pattern changes are weather dependent.  Drivers should pay attention to electronic message boards for updated schedule information.

This road project involves constructing an innovative intersection, known as a restricted crossing U-Turn (RCUT), to improve safety and traffic flow at the intersection. Throughout the life of the project, drivers can expect lane closures on both directions of Route 220 and traffic pattern changes at the intersection.

Construction is anticipated to be completed in summer 2025.