VDOT plans week-long on-ramp closure at Exit 257 of I-81

Starting next week, the on-ramp from Route 11 (Valley Pike) and Route 259 (Mayland Rd.) onto southbound Interstate 81 at exit 257 in Rockingham County will be closed.

The closure will start at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 4, and last until 7 p.m. Friday, May 8.

This closure will allow contractors with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to widen the southbound on-ramp and place new asphalt as part of the I-81 exit 257 reconstruction project.

During the closure, Route 11 and Route 259 drivers who need to reach southbound I-81 will detour south on Route 11 for about seven miles. Drivers will then turn left to access the southbound I-81 on-ramp at exit 251 instead.

All work is weather permitting.

The I-81 exit 257 project includes a new Route 11 bridge over the interstate and realignment of Route 11 and Route 259 at the interchange. A new signal will improve traffic flow at the intersection of Route 11 and the northbound I-81 ramps.

On June 19, 2019, the Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a $12.6 million construction contract to A&J Development and Excavation Inc. of Mt. Crawford, Virginia for the project.

Completion is expected in spring 2021.