Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A new Interstate 81 bridge over the New River near Radford was opened in 2023, but construction barrels still remain at the site. Officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said there are still minor details that need to be corrected.
VDOT spokesman Jason Bond said construction of the new bridge involved building a portion of it in the median, then switching traffic onto the new section in April 2022. The remainder of the new bridge was then constructed, and the old bridge was demolished in September 2023.
But there is a concern with the portion of the bridge that is not open to traffic.
“The riding surface on that unopened portion is uneven, and the contractor has been working to develop a solution,” said Bond. “The contractor and their engineers have been gathering more information and are working on a corrective action plan.”
More work is expected in spring 2026. Bond said the overall structure is safe for traffic to continue using.
The overall project replaced two bridges, the northbound Interstate 81 bridge over the New River and the Route 232 bridge over I-81 at exit 105 (Radford).
The northbound I-81 bridge over the New River was built in 1965 and showed signs of age. The new bridge now has an extended off ramp for exit 105 and wider shoulders.
The new bridge over the New River was built in the median next to the old structure, so two lanes of northbound I-81 remained open during construction.
The Route 232 bridge crosses over the interstate and was replaced to span the longer deceleration lane at exit 105 and wider shoulders on the new bridge over the New River
Construction started in 2016 with a cost of $62.2 million.