81S continuous lane closure begins Friday near Strasburg

crossover boulevard bridge

VDOT is reminding motorists to expect significant delays while travelling on 81 southbound this weekend due to the ongoing 81 expansion project.

Long duration single lane operation will begin Friday, October 2nd at 9pm and continue through Saturday, October 3rd till 9pm between mile markers 300-296 near the 81-66 exchange.

VDOT anticipates traffic backups to reach 8-11 miles during daylight hours on Saturday and create a cascading effect to other roads including:

  • Route 11
  • Route 522
  • Reliance Road
  • Fairfax Pike
  • and others throughout Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties

During the closure, the southbound Exit 298 off ramp to Route 11 will be closed.

Motorists wishing to use Route 11 South as an alternate route must use Exit 302 before returning to the interstate at MM 298 entrance ramp.

The Strasburg area construction will take place towards the median and include replacing the bridge over Cedar Creek, widening a bridge over the CSX railway, and construction of a 1 mile sound barrier wall.

The $58.6 million project is expected to be completed by fall of 2028.

For more information on the project from VDOT, click here.

For more information from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

VSP arrest Rockingham County man

Virginia State Police, VSP, Used by permission of VSP

Virginia State Police (VSP) have arrested a Rockingham County man accused of pointing firearms at another driver on I-81 in Frederick County.

The victim reported that a driver in a white SUV waved at least 2 firearms at hime the two vehicles were traveling southbound near mile marker 308.

The incident happened Monday, August 3rd, about 6 pm.

Troopers caught up with the SUV and arrested 23 year old Jose A. Simon of Rockingham County.

Police found multiple firearms and a reported grenade inside the vehicle.

A bomb squad was called to the scene and determined the grenade was inactive.

Simon is charged with 2 counts of brandishing a firearm and illegally wearing a mask.

He is being held at the Northwest Regional Adult Detention Center in Winchester.

The investigation remains ongoing.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

$34 million YMCA facility coming to Martinsburg

The City of Martinsburg announced a new $34 million YMCA facility is coming soon.

The proposed 65,000 sq ft facility located between North Tennessee Avenue and I-81 is anticipated to be a major community asset for indoor aquatic programming, childcare, fitness and wellness, and youth, teen, or other community gatherings.

According to the press release, one of the most significant parts of the project is the indoor aquatic facility which will provide a community need for:

  • year round swim lessons
  • water safety programs
  • recreational swimming
  • senior fitness
  • therapeutic exercise
  • wellness opportunities

The YMCA’s quality childcare facility will also help working families and strengthen the local workforce.

This project is funded through a partnership with the City of Martinsburg, WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center, YMCA of Frederick County (Maryland), and others to support a long-term investment in health, wellness, childcare, recreation, public safety, and quality of life.

More information including a rendering of the proposed building and map of the location are available here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Two killed on I-81 Thursday morning

VSP official patch and logo used by permission by Information Officer Brent Coffey

Two people were killed in separate crashes on Interstate 81 Thursday, according to Virginia State Police.

In Shenandoah County, 78-year-old Dennis Marshall of North Carolina was struck and killed after getting out of his disabled vehicle, which was then
hit by a tractor-trailer near mile marker 286.

A passenger was hospitalized with injuries, and the truck driver suffered minor injuries.

A few hours later in Frederick County, an adult woman died after her SUV swerved to avoid an object in the roadway near mile marker 318.

She left the interstate, and struck a tree.

Her identity has not yet been released.

Both crashes remain under investigation by Virginia State Police.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

PA man dies after eluding police

A Pennsylvania man has died after he crashed his Audi in the Clearbook area of Frederick County.

At approximately 2:30 am on Friday, March 27th Frederick County Deputies spotted a silver Audi matching the description of a vehicle from a violent domestic assault.

The Deputy turned around to investigate and the Audi accelerated onto I-81, reaching speeds of 120 mph. The suspect ignored all visual and audible signals to stop.

When the Deputy reached the exit ramp onto Hopewell Road, he saw that the suspect had gone through the guardrail on the opposite side and gone over the embankment and was out of sight.

Once other deputies arrived, they began looking through a field at the bottom of the embankment. Kevin Patrick Sullivan, 35, was found lying in the field, having been ejected from the car.

He was transported to Winchester Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

I-81 improvements announced

Governor Youngkin says Virginia is making major progress on improving Interstate 81, particularly in key areas like Strasburg and Winchester.

The nearly \$4 billion I-81 Corridor Improvement Program aims to enhance safety, reduce congestion, and support economic growth along I-81 in Virginia.

So far, 37 projects are already complete, with 14 more currently underway.

Among those active projects: additional travel lanes near Strasburg, to ease one of the corridor’s more congested stretches.

In Winchester, design and engineering work is moving forward for new travel lanes to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.

Transportation Secretary Sheppard Miller urges drivers to use caution and patience while crews work.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is also launching a new corridor study this summer to determine future needs.

From July 14th to 17th, public meetings will take place along the corridor, and residents are encouraged to share their feedback online.

All I-81 projects are expected to be complete by 2035.

More information and project updates visit Improve81.org

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

VSP and VDOT are working the inclement weather as fast and safely as possible

A Virginia State Police (VSP) email reports that they continue to monitor travel in the state.

As of last night 118, crashes have already been reported with 20 of those involving injuries across Virginia.

Caution is advised as additional snow fall is forecast.

The latest by email from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) reports that they continue to plow roads.

Primary roads and emergency snow routes will be cleared first.

Primary roads locally include Interstates 81 and 66 along with Route 11 and secondary roads to be worked as time and manpower permit.

VSP and VDOT are urging citizens to not travel unless absolutely necessary.

The latest road conditions for both Virginia and West Virginia can be monitored at the links in bold.

If you do have to travel, go well below the speed limit and allow distance between vehicles as well as plows.

With freezing temperatures conditions are going to deteriorate.

It is going to take longer to come to a complete stop in slick conditions.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

The Valley Turnpike

The ancient trail stretching from Philadelphia to Georgia, known by the English colonists as the Great Wagon Road, was utilized by Native Americans for generations, serving as a vital route from Canada to Georgia long before it acquired its English name.

VSP begins traffic safety initiative

VSP official patch and logo used by permission by Information Officer Brent Coffey

The Virginia State Police are beginning their traffic enforcement and safety initiative “Operation DISS-rupt” along the 325 miles of Interstate 81 through Virginia on Thursday and Friday.

The VSP will focus on:

  • Distracted driving
  • Impaired driving,
  • Speed compliance
  • Seat belt safety.

A similar effort was put into place on February 12th and 13th and led to 343 speeding citations.

Lt. Col. Matt Hanley, director of VSP Bureau of Field Operations said, “This spring we have continued to see dangerous driving behaviors on Virginia’s highways, and our goal is to “diss-rupt” them. We’re working to get Virginia back to the basics of traffic safety, which includes getting motorists to slow down, share the road and drive distraction free.”

So far this year, 225 Virginians have died on roadways.

The operation’s goal is to achieve zero fatal crashes during the enforcement period and reduce the total number of crashes on interstates in the calendar year by 10%.

Some driving behaviors highlighted in the announcement include:

  • ditching distractions by using hands free devices
  • utilizing proper seat belt safety
  • complying with speed limits
  • never driving while impaired

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Crashes and suicidal threats disrupt I-81 in Martinsburg

West Virginia state seal. Used by written permission by Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff of West Virginia Chuck Flannery

Traffic on Interstate 81 through Martinsburg faced multiple disruptions on Wednesday evening stemming from different incidents.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department received reports of a man threatening to jump off the Hammonds Mill Bridge over 81 at approximately 6:40 pm.

Deputies arrived on the scene and slowed traffic but reopened the road when they could not locate the male.

Then at 6:53 pm, a man matching the description of the person of interest was located at a nearby Sheetz and taken into custody without incident.

Joseph S. Jimenez, 35, was arrested and charged with a warrant for destruction of property.

Shortly after the interstate was reopened, a tractor trailer collided with a blue sedan and white SUV near mile marker 15.

The driver of the sedan was ejected from his vehicle and flown to a regional trauma center in critical condition.

A white SUV flipped onto its side after colliding with the tractor trailer as well.

The crash is still under investigation.

Then around 7 pm, a tanker truck overturned near mile marker 15 which shut down the interstate until 2:03 AM on Thursday.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.