A pair of crashes that occurred Wednesday on Interstate 81, both involving tractor trailers, have many people questioning safety while traveling the busy road.

The first crash happened Wednesday morning and resulted in the death of a Harrisonburg mother after she hit with a deer. A tractor trailer then hit her.

The victim, 60-year-old Maria Combs, was killed while traveling south on I-81 in Harrisonburg. Part of the interstate was closed for several hours as state police investigated the crash and cleared away the wreckage.

Around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, another crash involving a tractor trailer had the interstate closed for more than two hours. This one happened in the northbound lanes at mile marker 271 in Shenandoah County.

Virginia State Police say there were minor injuries. The crash is still under investigation.

The crashes and lane closures have drivers raising concerns about safety and calling for improvements to the interstate. The debate over what to do about traffic on I-81 has gone on for years, but there's still no clear plan or solution.

Hope Shultz is headed to Delaware from Roanoke, passing lots of trucks along the way.

"We have had experiences with [trucks] coming over into our lanes. They don't see us, and they're trying to change lanes. That's scary enough," says Shultz.

Daniel Stover has been driving trucks for decades.

"You wouldn't believe how much time we spend yelling out our window, 'What are you doing?' We can't figure it out. Or, you're thinking, 'OK, I know they're going to do this.' It makes no sense, and they're going to do something stupid. And, sure enough they do," says Stover.

According to a VDOT study, traffic on I-81 is expected to double by 2035. Truck traffic is expected to outpace other traffic.

"The majority of the people are trying to drive safely, and inadvertently it creates difficulties and challenges," says Stover.

People have tossed around proposals to make I-81 safer, including rail, widening the road and limiting truck traffic among other possible solutions.

"I think they need to widen it, and I think trucks need to stick in their own lanes," says Shultz. "At least two more lanes, two lanes for trucks, two for cars."

"I've got a near-perfect safety record. That's really important to us. But, I think if the fines were just astronomical, people wouldn't speed," says Stover.

Virginia's transportation budget is dwindling. Many proposals studied would cost billions of dollars.

"We want to be able to go and travel without being afraid of what's going to happen," says Shultz.

As part of the study, VDOT also looked at tolls as a way to get money to make improvements. Nothing is finalized.