Southbound I-81 fully open in Rockingham County but two damaged overpasses remain closed

STAUNTON — Southbound Interstate 81 fully reopened in Rockingham County early Wednesday morning, Sept. 24, after a southbound tractor trailer with an oversized load struck the underside of two bridges. The Virginia Department of Transportation inspected both overpasses and removed damaged concrete to prevent debris from falling onto travel lanes.

The damaged bridges carry Route 704 (Cecil Wampler Road) and Route 867 (North River Road) over I-81 in the Mount Crawford area. Both of those roadways are expected to remain closed for at least a couple of days as VDOT continues to inspect the structures and make any repairs needed to ensure safe travel for motorists.

VDOT will provide updates on the status of the bridges and related traffic restrictions. For details of the Tuesday afternoon incident causing damage to the bridges, contact Matt Demlein with Virgina State Police at matthew.demlein@vsp.virginia.gov.

The VDOT Customer Service Center can assist 24/7 with reporting road hazards, asking transportation questions, or getting information related to Virginia’s roads. Call 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623) or use its mobile friendly website at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov.

Find the VDOT Staunton District on Facebook and X (Twitter), and follow VDOT statewide social media accounts. The VDOT website is at https://www.vdot.virginia.gov.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.