HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Governor Abigail Spanberger joined state and local leaders Tuesday to break ground on a major widening project along more than six miles of Interstate 81 in the Harrisonburg area.

The $219 million project will add a third lane in each direction and replace nine bridges crossing the interstate, part of a larger statewide effort to improve one of Virginia’s busiest transportation corridors.

“I-81 is a major north-south backbone not only for Virginia, but for the entire freight network of the East Coast,” Spanberger said. “Modern, reliable infrastructure is essential to supporting local economies up and down the Shenandoah Valley.”

The interstate stretches 325 miles through Virginia and carries an estimated 21 million commercial trucks each year, transporting more than $300 billion in goods annually.

State officials said the Harrisonburg project is one of the largest undertakings in the ongoing I-81 Corridor Improvement Program, which includes 65 capital projects aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety. Those projects include additional travel lanes, interchange upgrades and truck-climbing lanes.

“This is among the largest and most ambitious projects in the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program,” said Nick Donohue, Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation. “By enhancing safety and traffic flow along this critical corridor, we are committing to helping foster continued economic growth in the Shenandoah Valley.”

Stephen Brich, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said 17 projects are currently under construction along the corridor, the most activity seen since the interstate was first built six decades ago.

Brich added that 40 of the 65 planned construction projects have already been completed in less than seven years since the program began.

Other widening projects in Bristol and Salem are expected to finish this summer, while a widening project in Staunton is projected to wrap up next summer. Additional work near Roanoke and Harrisonburg is now underway.

The Harrisonburg widening project is scheduled for full completion in 2032, though drivers are expected to begin using the new travel lanes by late 2031.

The I-81 Corridor Improvement Program is currently valued at approximately $4 billion and is funded through regional fuel taxes and Virginia’s Interstate Operations and Enhancement Program.