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The I-81 Corridor Improvement Program is enhancing safety and reliability, reducing congestion and unlocking economic growth along a critical portion of our nation’s infrastructure.
The program includes 65 capital projects and numerous operational improvements throughout the interstate's 325-mile corridor in Virginia. The $4 billion program was signed into law in spring 2019. Major projects include widening the interstate to three lanes in areas, adding truck climbing lanes through challenging terrain, and extending merge lanes at many interchanges.
VDOT and its partners in the plan continue to assess needs along the corridor through the 2025 Corridor Improvement Plan to further identify targeted improvements along I-81.
For more details on specific projects, please visit the following pages:
Work is actively underway on projects across the I-81 corridor. Check out live project cameras to see the updates in real time.
Each project in the program is categorized as one of the following types of improvement: acceleration/deceleration extension, auxiliary lane, truck climbing lane, widening, curve improvements, shoulder widening, operational improvements, or multimodal improvements. Learn more about each type of project:
Acceleration and deceleration extension projects extend the lanes used to merge onto and off of the interstate, giving motorists more time to speed up and merge or slow down when getting off the interstate.
Auxiliary lanes are constructed between two interchanges, giving motorists additional time to speed up or slow down when merging on and off the interstate. Auxiliary lanes also reduce the number of vehicles merging onto the interstate.
A truck climbing lane is an additional roadway lane that enables trucks to ascend a steep grade at a lower speed while maintaining regular traffic speeds for passenger vehicles in the other lanes.
Southwest Virginia Truck Climbing Lanes and Weyers Cave Truck Climbing Lanes
Interstate widening projects add an additional travel lane to the interstate. On I-81, these projects increase travel lanes from two to three lanes to alleviate congestion and improve safety and reliability of travel.
Curve improvement projects include installation of static and/or flashing chevron signs to alert motorists of upcoming sharp or challenging curves where crashes are prevalent.
Operational improvement projects include technology-based upgrades (digital message signs and traffic cameras), enhancements to safety service patrol, detour route improvements, and enhancements to clearance times to clear incidents more quickly.
Multimodal improvement projects are cooperative projects with railroad, bus, local governments, and regional planning bodies to support impactful multimodal improvements along the corridor.
Last updated: June 27, 2025
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