STAUNTON, VA (Rocktown Now) — Northbound Interstate 81 near Staunton is scheduled to close from 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7, through 9 a.m. Sunday, March 8. The closure will allow contractors widening this portion of the interstate to set up for a traffic-pattern shift. Upon completion of this work, northbound I-81 drivers will shift to the left near mile marker 224.3, just past the New Hope Road overpass bridge.

During the overnight closure:

  • Northbound I-81 drivers will detour at exit 220 and use the Route 262 (Woodrow Wilson Parkway) bypass around Staunton. They will rejoin the interstate at exit 225 just north of the city.
  • Northbound I-81 drivers who need to reach I-64 eastbound will use exit 220, follow the Route 262 detour around Staunton, join I-81 southbound at exit 225 and then take exit 221 to go east on I-64.
  • Westbound I-64 drivers who need to access I-81 northbound will follow I-81 south to exit 220 and use the detour route.
  • The on-ramps from Route 262 and Route 250 (Jefferson Highway) onto northbound I-81 will be closed.

Digital message boards will alert motorists of the northbound closure and advise them to follow green-and-white “Emergency Route C” signs to navigate through the detour.

When I-81 northbound reopens Sunday morning, March 8, drivers will shift toward the left (toward the median) near mile marker 224.6 just past the Route 254 (New Hope Road) overpass bridge. This traffic pattern will remain in place for several months.

All work is weather permitting, and schedules are subject to change.

The traffic shift allows contractors to continue with phase-two widening of the northbound bridge over Lewis Creek. The roadwork is part of the ongoing widening of I-81 in both directions between exit 221 and exit 225 in the Staunton area. Motorists should be alert for shoulder closures and construction equipment entering and exiting the work zone.

The project is scheduled for final completion in summer 2027, but all three northbound lanes are expected to open to traffic in late fall of 2026.

The Staunton-area widening is being constructed under a $101 million design-build contract, as part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program (CIP). Other major I-81 CIP projects in the VDOT Staunton District include:

  • Winchester-area widening (construction starts in 2028)
  • Weyers Cave truck-climbing lanes (scheduled for completion in late 2027)
  • Strasburg-area widening (scheduled for completion in fall 2028)
  • Harrisonburg-area widening (construction starts in spring 2026)