AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA (VDOT) –The new Route 635 (Barterbrook Road) bridge over Interstate 81 in Augusta County is scheduled to open to traffic on or about 2 p.m. today, June 6. Route 635 just south of Staunton has been closed to through traffic since November 2023 as contractors removed the old overpass bridge and constructed a new one.

The design of the new bridge allows space for construction of a southbound I-81 auxiliary lane between exit 221 (I-64 interchange) and exit 220 (Route 262 south). The auxiliary lane, scheduled to open by late summer 2025, will enhance safety and ease congestion in the area where I-64 and I-81 merge. All work is weather permitting, and construction schedules are subject to change.

Until the auxiliary lane project is complete, a work-zone speed limit of 60 miles an hour remains in effect on northbound and southbound I-81 between mile marker 220 and 221.5.