SALEM – Work is scheduled to begin Friday, May 9, at 9 p.m. to change the traffic pattern on Interstate 581/Route 220 Expressway at the Elm Avenue interchange in Roanoke. The work is necessary to support the construction of bridge piers in the median of I-581 and is part of the construction project to improve the interchange.
Work to switch the traffic pattern will take place over several nights. Weather and work schedule permitting, the contractor expects to be completed by Tuesday, May 13, at 6 a.m.
When completed, the left lanes of northbound and southbound I-581 will be closed and the center and right lanes will be open to traffic. This traffic pattern will remain in place until the end of the improvement project in summer 2015.
Switching the traffic pattern will require the contractor to move barricades, eradicate temporary pavement markings and install new signs and markings as necessary. All three lanes of north and southbound I-581 temporarily will be open to traffic for approximately 24 to 48 hours while the barricades are being moved to support the new traffic pattern.
The detailed traffic impacts for each night of work are as follows:
Southbound barricade removal – Friday, May 9
On Friday, May 9, from 9 p.m. until 10 a.m. Saturday morning, southbound I-581 will be reduced to one lane. The right and center lanes will be closed to remove barricades. The southbound ramp leading from I-581 to Elm Avenue will be closed. When work is completed Saturday morning, all three southbound lanes of I-581 will be open to traffic and the ramp will reopen.
Northbound barricade removal – Saturday, May 10
On Saturday, May 10, from 9 p.m. until 10 a.m. Sunday morning, northbound I-581 will be reduced to one lane. The right and center lanes will be closed to remove barricades. The northbound ramp leading from I-581 to Elm Avenue will be closed. When work is completed Sunday morning, all three southbound lanes of I-581 will be open to traffic and the ramp will reopen.
Southbound lane closure installation – Sunday, May 11
On Sunday, May 11, from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday morning, the contractor will close the center and left lanes, reducing southbound I-581 to one lane to install barricades. When the work is completed, the left lane of I-581 will be closed leaving the right and center lanes open.
Northbound lane closure installation – Monday, May 12
On Monday, May 12, from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, the contractor will close the center and left lanes, reducing northbound I-581 to one lane to install barricades. When the work is completed, the left lane of I-581 will be closed leaving the right and center lanes open.
Signs and message boards will be in place to notify drivers of the lane closures and new traffic patterns. Citizens are encouraged to call 511 or visit www.511Virginia.org for real time traffic information.
Information about the project can be found online at www.VirginiaDOT.org/ElmAvenue.