Separate Truck Lanes Ruled Out for Virginia’s I-81

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uture estimates of car and truck volume on Virginia’s Interstate 81 do not support building a separate roadway for trucks along the entire length of the corridor, the Virginia Department of Transportation said Friday.

Studies show that 37% of the 325-mile interstate needs one additional general purpose lane, while the remainder may need up to two additional lanes to handle anticipated traffic demand, VDOT said in a statement.

To ease congestion in the short term, the department intends to use federal funds from last year’s highway bill to build separate truck climbing lanes in selected locations along I-81.

In addition, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and the Multimodal Planning Office will conduct a study aimed at maximizing the capacity of freight rail in the corridor.

VDOT estimates that nearly all of the I-81 corridor will need additional capacity by 2035.