Construction continues in the Highway Safety Corridor along I81 in Roanoke County and the City of Salem. The project which began in February of 2022 is meant to make the roadway safer by adding a lane in each direction between exits 136 and 142. Interstate 81 has been plagued with congestion and serious crashes involving tractor trailers and passenger cars for years. One hailed as one Virginia’s most scenic routes, it is now known to be one of Virginia’s most dangerous highways.
According to data on the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles website, this 5 mile stretch of highway experienced 312 accidents between October 2016 and September of 2019. Traffic volumes have ranged between 63,000 and 67,000 vehicles passing through each day. Heavy trucks account for 22 percent of that traffic.
The project is projected to be completed by 2026. Adding an additional lane to both northbound and southbound traffic is meant to alleviate congestion and make response times for EMS personnel faster when crashes do occur. Along with these improvements, six bridges will be completely replaced over Wildwood Road (route 112), Goodwin Avenue (route 635) and Wildwood Road(Route 619). The bridges over Thompson Memorial Drive will be widened at exit 140. Interchange lighting will be added at exits 137, 140, and 141. Exit and on-ramp lamps will be improved and lengthened as needed and concrete barriers will be constructed along narrow median sections in an effort to prevent head-on collisions. The total cost of this project is 179 million dollars.
Residents of Roanoke, Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Botetourt are all too familiar with the congestion and probability of crashes on Interstate 81. In recent years, tractor trailers have collided with passenger vehicles at an alarming rate. There are 2.97 million semi-trucks registered to be on highways in the United States. Most residents of the Roanoke and New River Valleys will tell you that all 3 million drive down I81 in a single day! That would be a gross exaggeration of course.
But it isn’t an exaggeration to say that the trucking industry is growing and that means that even more trucks will be on I81. The industry is predicted to double in size and worth between the years of 2023 and 2050. In 2022, 65% of all freight tonnage was moved by truck. Every bit of growth means that more trucks will be on highways in Virginia.
Truck Accident Statistics
In 2023, there were more than 168,000 truck accidents in the United States. Approximately 1/3 of these accidents resulted in an injury or a fatality. Virginia had 5,150 reported tractor trailer or semi-truck accidents. In the accidents that involved a tractor trailer colliding with a passenger vehicle, the occupants of the passenger vehicle accounted for 71% of the injuries or deaths. Two percent of the injuries were assigned to pedestrians or bicyclists that were struck by a large truck, semi-truck, straight truck or a tractor trailer.
Close to 65% of semi-truck, straight truck, tractor-trailer and large truck accidents occur on interstate highways and freeways. Statistically, most truck accidents happen between 12pm and 3pm during the week from Tuesday through Thursday. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of accidents happen in daylight hours between 6am and 6pm.
Truck and Car Accidents in Work Zones
Sixty-seven thousand vehicles are passing through the work zone between mile marker 136 and 142 daily. If 22 percent of those vehicles are semi-trucks, straight trucks, tractor trailers or heavy trucks, that means that nearly 15,000 trucks are traveling through that work zone everyday. While safety measures like jersey walls, reduced speed zones, and enhanced lighting are in place, the work zone is still a very dangerous area for workers and cars alike. Truck accidents in these work zones are common. Congested traffic, unexpected lane merges, shortened lanes, narrowed passageways and fluctuating speeds are all known contributors to work zone truck crashes on I81.
