SALEM – Another night of work needed to implement a traffic switch on northbound and southbound Interstate 581 at Elm Avenue has been scheduled for tonight from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Starting at 8 p.m. tonight, southbound I-581 will be reduced to one lane and the ramp leading from I-581 onto Elm Avenue will be closed.
The contractor did not complete enough of the work last night to reopen southbound I-581 to three lanes as previously anticipated but plans to complete the pavement markings to make that change tonight.
Starting Thursday morning, the right lane of southbound I-581 will reopen to traffic after being closed for months. All three lanes of southbound I-581 at Elm Avenue will remain open until additional nighttime work can be scheduled to close the left lane.
Depending on how early work can be completed on southbound I-581 tonight, crews may move to northbound I-581 to close the ramp onto Elm Avenue to begin pavement markings at that location.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will announce additional nighttime lane closures on northbound and southbound I-581 needed for the traffic switch once the schedule has been determined.
Once the traffic switch is completely implemented, the left lanes of northbound and southbound I-581 will be closed and the center and right lanes will be open to traffic. This new traffic pattern will remain in place until the end of the improvement project in summer 2015.
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.