VDOT News - Salem

SALEM – Reopening the Troutville Rest Area that is located on southbound Interstate 81 near mile marker 158 in Botetourt County has been postponed. The rest area has been closed since May for work on a $4.9 million project to extend the ramps at the facility.

The Virginia Department of Transportation had anticipated that contractor Branch Civil Inc. would reopen the rest area by Thanksgiving, but delays with completing the work have extended the closure.

Branch Civil Inc. must complete paving on the ramps and road shoulders at the rest area before it can be reopened to the public. This paving can only be scheduled when temperatures are warm enough and there is no precipitation, so an exact time frame for opening the rest area cannot be determined.

The contractor will make every effort to complete the remaining paving before winter. However, if schedule and weather prevent the paving from being finished, the rest area may have to remain closed until spring.

A concrete barrier wall is currently in place in front of the rest area, and motorists are not able to enter the facility or use the parking lot and restrooms. Southbound I-81 drivers can still use the Fairfield Rest Area at mile marker 195 in Rockbridge County or the Radford Rest Area at mile marker 108 in Montgomery County. Portable toilets and parking will continue to be available temporarily for commercial vehicles at the Troutville Weigh Station located on southbound I-81 at mile marker 149.

The ramp extension project at the Troutville Rest Area is intended to improve safety by providing motorists more space to accelerate or decelerate. The off ramp into the rest area is being extended approximately 500 feet and the ramp onto southbound I-81 is being extended approximately 2,100 feet. The project also includes expanding the truck parking area at the facility by 12 spaces.

The project is a part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in December 2018. The more than $2 billion package of focused improvements was funded by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law in spring 2019.

Additional information about the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program is available at Improve81.org. The website includes interactive maps and schedules and details about upcoming and current projects that are designed to improve safety, increase reliability and foster economic growth along the 325-mile I-81 corridor.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.