Crashes shut down northbound I-81 in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties

UPDATE (6:15 p.m.):

After an afternoon full of crashes causing delays on Interstate 81, two separate ones have now shut down the northbound side of the interstate in both Rockingham County and Shenandoah County.

A multi-vehicle crash has closed all northbound lanes at mile marker 253, just north of Harrisonburg, causing backups of at least 4 miles.

Farther north, a multi-vehicle crash has closed the northbound left shoulder, left lane, and right lane of I-81 at mile marker 287.4, between Toms Brook and Woodstock, causing backups of at least 7 miles.

In the southern part of the Shenandoah Valley, the northbound left shoulder and left lane of I-81 remain closed at mile marker 208.6 due to a multi-vehicle crash, causing at least 4 miles of backups in southern Augusta County.

Related congestion can be expected on Route 11 in southern Augusta County, near Harrisonburg, and through Shenandoah County.

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UPDATE (5:25 p.m.):

Most of the crashes that caused major delays on the northbound side of Interstate 81 Friday afternoon have now cleared, but two in close proximity in Augusta County remain.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), a multi-vehicle crash remains blocking the northbound left lane and left shoulder at mile marker 208.6, causing at least 8 miles of backups.

Just a little ways behind that, at mile marker 208, another crash has closed the northbound left lane and left shoulder as well, contributing to another mile of backups.

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UPDATE (4:30 p.m.):

All four crashes remain on Interstate 81, with major delays.

At mile marker 208, where a multi-vehicle crash closed the northbound left shoulder and left lane, backups have stretched to about 7 miles.

At mile marker 213, a multi-vehicle crash has been cleared after it originally caused backups, but delays remain at around 8 miles.

At mile marker 236, the northbound left shoulder and left lane remain closed, causing backups of at least 5 miles.

At mile marker 283.2, the northbound left shoulder and left lane are still closed as well, causing major backups as well.

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Drivers should expect delays on multiple parts of the northbound side Interstate 81 due to crashes on Friday afternoon.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, as of 3:40 p.m., the following situations are causing delays along Interstate 81.

A multi-vehicle crash at mile marker 208 has closed the northbound left lane and left shoulder. The length of backups from that scene has not yet been estimated.

A multi-vehicle crash at mile marker 213, near Greenville, has closed the northbound left lane, left shoulder, and right shoulder, causing backups of at least 6 miles.

A multi-vehicle crash at mile marker 236, near Weyers Cave, has closed the northbound left lane and left shoulder, causing backups of at least 5 miles.

Farther north, a crash at mile marker 283, near Woodstock, has closed the northbound left lane and left shoulder, causing backups of around 3 miles.