STAUNTON, VA (VDOT) – Detour trailblazing signs have been installed on Interstate 81, westbound I-64 and Route 262 (Woodrow Wilson Parkway) in the Staunton area.

As part of a research study being led by the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the signs are intended to help guide motorists during traffic incidents on I-81, when there is a directional closure and traffic must detour. The signs may also be used for planned I-81 work requiring an overnight temporary interstate closure and detour during critical work zone operations.

The green-and-white signs read “Emergency Route A” or “Emergency Route C.” Digital message boards along I-81 or westbound I-64 would alert motorists of a closure on I-81 and advise them whether to follow Route A (for a southbound closure) or Route C (for a northbound closure). The emergency routes will direct traffic onto and around Route 262, the Staunton-area bypass, between I-81 exit 220 and exit 225.