Interstate 81

Interstate 81
Route information
Length:	854.89 mi (1,376 km)
Major junctions
South end:	I-40 in Dandridge, TN
	I-26 / US-23 near Kingsport, TN I-77 near Wytheville, VA I-64 from Lexington, VA to Staunton, VA I-70 at Hagerstown, MD I-76 / Penna. Tpk. at Carlisle, PA I-78 at Union Township, PA I-80 near Hazleton, PA I-84 near Scranton, PA I-86 / NY 17 in Binghamton, NY I-90 / Thruway in Syracuse, NY
North end:	Highway 137 at Thousand Islands Bridge in Wellesley Island, NY/ON (TO Highway 401)
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business

Interstate 81 (abbreviated I-81) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island (near Fishers Landing, New York) at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway connecting Detroit to Toronto and Toronto to Montreal.

Interstate 81 largely traces the path of the Appalachian Mountains, often paralleling its older U.S. highway counterpart, U.S. Route 11. Being mostly rural, it is heavily used as a trucking corridor, often as a bypass of the busier Interstate 95 to the east.

The Interstate 81 Corridor Coalition, a six-state coalition, was organized to handle issues along Interstate 81, such as truck traffic and air pollution. As of October 15, 2008, this commission has met twice.

Route description

Lengths

	mi	km
TN	75	121
VA	323	520
WV	23	37
MD	11	18
PA	234	377
NY	183	294

Tennessee and Virginia

Main articles: Interstate 81 in: Tennessee | Virginia

Interstate 81 begins in Tennessee at Interstate 40 in Dandridge. The route parallels the Appalachian Mountains for much of its route through Tennessee and Virginia, serving such cities as the twin cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia, Roanoke, Blacksburg, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester. In Harrisonburg, I-81 cuts through James Madison University. It parallels its older counterpart, U.S. Route 11, for its entire length in Virginia.

In July 2009, due to budgetary constraints, Virginia closed seven rest stops along I-81 in rural Virginia; however, in January 2010, it was announced that all rest areas will be reopened in the following months.

West Virginia and Maryland

Main articles: Interstate 81 in: West Virginia | Maryland

Interstate 81 briefly enters the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, serving the city of Martinsburg. It then traverses the state of Maryland at one of its narrowest points, passing through the "Hub City" of Hagerstown where it intersects with a large number of other routes.

Pennsylvania

Main article: Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania

Interstate 81 forms a major north–south corridor through the state of Pennsylvania, serving the boroughs of Chambersburg and Carlisle, where it meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike but does not directly interchange with it (motorists must use US 11 to connect). Around the state capital of Harrisburg, the route forms the northeastern section of Pennsylvania's Capital Beltway. The route then travels northeast toward the Wyoming Valley, where it serves the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, then heads north through the Endless Mountains region toward the state line. Although it is signed as a north–south highway, it is distinctly northeast–southwest and occasionally east–west throughout the state.

New York

Main article: Interstate 81 in New York

Interstate 81 enters the state of New York near Binghamton. It parallels U.S. Route 11 in a north–south direction, through much of the state, serving the cities of Syracuse (where it intersects the New York State Thruway), and Watertown. The route ends at the Canadian border at the Thousand Islands Bridge, where it crosses the St. Lawrence River, continuing as a short connector, Highway 137, which serves the Thousand Islands Parkway and Highway 401.

Major intersections

• Interstate 40 near Dandridge, Tennessee, northeast of Knoxville, TN.
• Interstate 26 between the Tri-Cities.
• Interstate 77 in Wytheville, VA. They stay joined for about 10 miles (16 km), and go in opposite directions (i.e., this is a wrong-way concurrency, where I-81 North overlaps I-77 South, and vice versa).
• Interstate 64 in Lexington, VA. They stay joined through Staunton, VA.
• Interstate 66 in Middletown, VA
• Interstate 70 in Hagerstown, MD.
• Interstate 76/Pennsylvania Turnpike (via U.S. Route 11) in Middlesex Township, PA (near Carlisle, PA).
• Interstate 83 in Harrisburg, PA
• Interstate 78 near Jonestown, PA.
• Interstate 80 near Hazleton, PA.
• Interstate 476/PA Tpk NE Ext. in Dupont, Pennsylvania (near Pittston, PA).
• Interstate 84 and Interstate 380 in Dunmore, Pa. (near Scranton, PA). Throop Dunmore Interchange.
• Interstate 476/PA Tpk NE Ext.(again) in Clarks Summit, PA.
• 
  Future Interstate 86/NY 17 in Binghamton, NY.
• Interstate 88 in Binghamton, NY.
• I-690 in downtown Syracuse, NY.
• Interstate 90/New York State Thruway in North Syracuse, NY.

Auxiliary routes

I-81 looking southbound near milepost 245 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

There are three current auxiliary routes either providing access to, or bypassing, various cities along the Interstate 81 route.

Current

• I-381 - Bristol, Virginia
• I-581 - Roanoke, Virginia
• I-481 - Syracuse, New York

Past

• I-181 - Kingsport, Tennessee: Decommissioned in August 2005 when Interstate 26 took over I-181's entire length.
• I-281 - Syracuse, New York: Taken over in January 1970 by Interstate 481.
• I-81E - Current Interstate 380 (Pennsylvania)

Future

• I-781 - Pamelia, New York: To be a spur to the Fort Drum Army installation. Estimated completion date, mid-2012.

External links

• Thousand Islands Bridge System, showing the bridges and connections at the northern terminus
• Economic Development History of Interstate 81 in Virginia, a Federal Highway Administration report.