Interstate 81

{{Short description|Interstate Highway through Appalachian Mountains}}

{{Infobox road

| country = USA

| route = 81

| type = I

| map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=290|type=line|from=Interstate 81.map}}

| map_custom = yes

| map_notes = I-81 highlighted in red

| length_mi = 855.02

| length_ref = {{cite web |date=December 31, 2021 |title=Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |access-date=July 14, 2022 |work=FHWA Route Log and Finder List |publisher=Federal Highway Administration}}

| direction_a = South

| terminus_a = {{jct|state=TN|I|40}} in Dandridge, TN

| junction = {{plainlist|1=

{{jct|state=TN|I|26|US|23}} near Kingsport, TN
{{jct|state=VA|I|77}} from Wytheville, VA to Fort Chiswell, VA
{{jct|state=VA|I|64}} from Lexington, VA to Staunton, VA
{{jct|state=MD|I|70}} at Hagerstown, MD
{{Jct|state=PA|US|11}} in Carlisle, PA
{{jct|state=PA|I|83|US|22|US|322}} in Harrisburg, PA
{{jct|state=PA|I|78}} in Union Township, PA
{{jct|state=PA|I|80}} in Drums, PA
{{jct|state=PA|I|84|I|380|US|6}} in Dunmore, PA
{{jct|state=NY|I-Toll|90|NYST}} near Syracuse, NY }}

| direction_b = North

| terminus_b = {{jct|state=ON|Hwy|137}} at the Canadian border on Wellesley Island, NY

| states = Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York

| established = 1957

}}

Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island, New York at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 137 and ultimately to Highway 401, the main Ontario freeway connecting Detroit via Toronto to Montreal. The major metropolitan areas along the route of I-81 include the Tri-Cities of Tennessee; Roanoke in Virginia; Hagerstown in Maryland; Harrisburg and the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania; and Binghamton and Syracuse in New York.

I-81 largely traces the paths created down the length of the Appalachian Mountains through the Great Appalachian Valley by migrating animals, indigenous peoples, and early settlers. It also follows a major corridor for troop movements during the Civil War.{{Cite web|url=https://www.millershousemuseum.org/roads|publisher=Miller's House Museum |title = Roads|language=en|access-date=July 16, 2018}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} These trails and roadways gradually evolved into US Route 11 (US 11); I-81 parallels much of the older US 11.{{cite book |title = Interstate 81: The Great Warriors Trace |first = Dianne |last = Perrier |date = 2010 |publisher = University Press of Florida |isbn = 978-0-8130-3481-2 |location = Gainesville |oclc = 502304332 }}{{page needed|date=January 2018}} Being mostly rural in nature, I-81 is heavily used as a trucking corridor and is often used as a bypass of busier and more congested Interstates to the east such as I-95; for this reason, it is also used heavily by drug and human traffickers, as it is less monitored by law enforcement than I-95. This led to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) forming a taskforce to combat the issue in 2017.{{cite news |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Jake |title=FBI forms human trafficking task force along I-81 |url=https://www.nvdaily.com/news/crime/fbi-forms-human-trafficking-task-force-along-i-81/article_657d7859-0b88-5cdb-9324-61803070bd57.html |access-date=22 June 2020 |work=North Virginia Daily |date=26 January 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Rossi |first1=Isabella |title=Sex trafficking closer to home than most Virginians would think |url=http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/sex-trafficking-closer-to-home-than-most-virginians-would-think/article_24cd2b06-2d6a-11e9-8dee-23706d3ea3ae.html |access-date=22 June 2020 |work=Collegiate Times |date=12 February 2019}}

The I-81 Corridor Coalition, a six-state coalition, was organized to handle issues along I-81, such as truck traffic and air pollution; the commission meets annually.{{cite web |url = https://www.i-81coalition.org |title = Corridor Coalition |publisher = I-81coalition.org |access-date = January 29, 2018 }} I-81 is part of the fastest route between the capital of the US (Washington, D.C.) and the capital of Canada (Ottawa) and Mexico (Mexico City).{{cite web |url = http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=312716f5-fa94-4d47-a1f4-50e610a72191&rss=50 |title = I-81 Safety Conference |publisher = WHP-TV |location = Harrisburg, PA |access-date = October 4, 2014 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}[http://www.witf.org/FM/24934364_New_group_will_focus_on_I-81_Corridor_051212.htm I-81 Corridor group]{{dead link|date= September 2016}}

Route description

I-81 is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).{{FHWA NHS}}{{lengths table|length_ref=}}

| TN || {{convert|75.66|mi|km|disp=table}}

| VA || {{convert|324.92|mi|km|disp=table}}

| WV || {{convert|26.00|mi|km|disp=table}}

| MD || {{convert|12.08|mi|km|disp=table}}

| PA || {{convert|232.76|mi|km|disp=table}}

| NY || {{convert|183.60|mi|km|disp=table}}

| Total || {{convert|855.02|mi|km|disp=table}}

= Tennessee =

I-81 begins in Tennessee at I-40 in Dandridge, a route that connects to Knoxville to the west and Asheville to the east. I-81 meets I-26 and US 23, which go to Kingsport and Johnson City. At milemarker 75, I-81 leaves Tennessee and enters Virginia.

= Virginia =

File:2019-07-08 14 24 49 View south along Interstate 81 from the overpass for Carrier Drive in Harrisonburg, Virginia.jpg]]

I-81 in Virginia is largely a rural route with brief concurrencies with I-77 and I-64. 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 Virginia; Wytheville; Roanoke; Christiansburg; Lexington; Staunton; Harrisonburg; and Winchester. In Harrisonburg, I-81 cuts through James Madison University.{{cite book |last1 = Fiske |first1 = E.B. |last2 = Logue |first2 = R. |title = The Fiske Guide to Colleges |location = New York |publisher = Times Books |year = 2006 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sKvSAAAAIAAJ |access-date = February 26, 2018 |via = Google Books |page = 358 |isbn = 9781402203749 |quote = The university straddles Interstate 81, an outlet to several major East Coast cities. }} It parallels its older counterpart, US 11, for its entire length in Virginia.{{cite book |first1 = Charles IV |last1 = Harbaugh |first2 = Jeff |last2 = Pennington |title = Middletown |location = Charleston, SC |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |series = Images of America |year = 2015 |isbn = 978-1-4671-2242-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ooWtBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 |access-date = February 26, 2018 |via = Google Books |page = 10 }}

= West Virginia =

File:2016-08-24 13 49 39 View north along Interstate 81 just after entering Ridgeway, Berkeley County, West Virginia from Rest, Frederick County, Virginia.jpg

I-81 briefly enters the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia for about {{convert|26|mi|km}}, serving the city of Martinsburg. The entire routing is in Berkeley County and serves the Eastern WV Regional Airport. The West Virginia segment was completed in 1966 and there have been no realignments since.

= Maryland =

File:2016-07-29 19 17 29 View north along Interstate 81 just north of Exit 5 (Halfway Boulevard) just southwest of Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland.jpg]]

In Maryland, the Interstate Highway runs {{convert|12.08|mi|km}} from the West Virginia state line at the Potomac River in Williamsport north to the Pennsylvania state line near Maugansville. I-81 is the primary north–south Interstate Highway in Washington County, connecting Hagerstown with Chambersburg and Harrisburg to the north and Martinsburg, Winchester, and Roanoke to the south.{{Maryland HLR|year=2013|county1=Washington|pages1=13–19|access-date=February 3, 2018}} It is the shortest mainline Interstate in Maryland and contains the shortest portion of I-81 of all six states through which the Interstate highway passes. The Interstate was dedicated as Maryland Veterans Memorial Highway in 1987. I-81 passes through the state of Maryland at one of its narrowest points, the "Hub City" of Hagerstown where it intersects with a large number of other routes, most notably I-70. Hagerstown Regional Airport is served by this Interstate Highway.

= Pennsylvania =

File:Interstate 78 and 81 junction, northbound.jpg in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania]]

I-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 (I-76) but does not directly interchange with it (motorists must use US 11 to connect). Around the state capital of Harrisburg, the route forms the northern 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.

= New York =

File:Syracuse Interstates.jpg in downtown Syracuse]]

In New York, I-81 crosses the Pennsylvania state line southeast of Binghamton. The freeway runs north–south through Central New York, serving the cities of Binghamton, Syracuse, and Watertown. It passes through the Thousand Islands in its final miles and crosses two bridges, both part of the series of bridges known as the Thousand Islands Bridge. South of Watertown, I-81 closely parallels US 11, the main north–south highway in Central New York prior to the construction of I-81. At Watertown, US 11 turns northeastward to head across New York's North Country while I-81 continues on a generally northward track to the Canadian border. From there, the road continues into the province of Ontario as Highway 137, a short route leading north to the nearby Highway 401.{{google maps |date = April 16, 2012 |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-81+N&daddr=I-81+N&hl=en&ll=43.329174,-75.822144&spn=3.004846,7.13562&sll=44.346701,-75.982111&sspn=0.00577,0.013937&geocode=FX7WgAIdmh58-w%3BFZavpAIdn5Z4-w&t=h&mra=me&mrsp=1,0&sz=17&z=8 |title = Overview Map of I-81 in New York |access-date = February 3, 2018 }}

History

I-81 roughly parallels the Great Indian Warpath, an old Indian trail that connected New York to the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States via Virginia and West Virginia.{{cite book |last1 = Rice |first1 = Otis K. |last2 = Brown |first2 = Stephen W. |year = 1993 |url = https://archive.org/details/westvirginiahist00rice_0 |url-access = registration |title = West Virginia: A History |location = Lexington |publisher = University Press of Kentucky |page = [https://archive.org/details/westvirginiahist00rice_0/page/10 10] |isbn = 978-0-8131-1854-3 |access-date = February 2, 2018 }} A series of roads linking Virginia to Maryland through Martinsburg were present on maps as early as 1873.{{cite map |last = White |first = M. Wood |map-url = http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~28412~1120347:White-s-topographical,-county-&-dis?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No |title = White's Topographical, County & District Atlas of West Virginia |map = Counties of Morgan, Berkeley, Jefferson |scale = 1:310,000 |publisher = M.W. White. |year = 1873 |page = 22 |access-date = February 2, 2018 |oclc = 62726043 |via = David Rumsey Map Collection }} New York was originally served by New York State Route 2 (NY 2), a road built in 1924;{{cite news |title = New York's Main Highways Designated by Numbers |work = The New York Times |date = December 21, 1924 |page = XX9 }} NY 2 was replaced by US 11 in 1927. A highway that largely followed the path of US 11 was built and became known as the Penn-Can Highway.{{cite news |url = http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201957.pdf/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201957%20-%200247.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220130215742/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201957.pdf/Binghamton%20NY%20Press%20Grayscale%201957%20-%200247.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 30, 2022 |title = Penn-Can Road Vital to Broome, Majority at Hearing Says |date = January 9, 1957 |newspaper = The Binghamton Press |access-date = February 3, 2018 |page = 3 |via = Fulton County Historical Society }} On August 14, 1957, the highway was redesigned as I-81.{{cite map |url = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_Highway_plan_August_14,_1957.jpg |title = Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways |author = American Association of State Highway Officials |author-link = American Association of State Highway Officials |scale = Scale not given |location = Washington, DC |publisher = American Association of State Highway Officials |date = August 14, 1957 |via = Wikimedia Commons }} In New York, the first segments of what would become I-81 were begun in 1954.{{Cite web |title = Interstate 81: The History |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation }}{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}} In Maryland, the Interstate was begun with the Hagerstown Bypass in the mid-1950s.{{Maryland SRC report |year = 1958 |page = 82 |access-date = November 15, 2010 }} After several bouts of expansion, the freeway was completed from US 40 (now Maryland Route 144 [MD 144]) to the Pennsylvania state line in 1958{{Maryland road map |year = 1958 |sections = }}{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}} and marked as I-81 in 1959.{{Maryland road map |year = 1959 |sections = }}{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}} Bidding on contracts in West Virginia opened in July 1958.{{Cite news |title = Bids Opened on Parts of Interstate 81 |date = July 29, 1958 |work = Charleston Daily Mail }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} In Virginia, the first Interstate hearing was held in February 1957. At the end of 1957, construction began on a {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in|adj=on}} stretch near Buchanan, Virginia. A {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in|adj=on}} section of the Interstate opened in 1959. A stretch in Harrisonburg was opened as well. By late 1963, {{Convert|85|mi|km}} in Virginia were open.{{Cite web |url = http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/constSTAN-I81-history.asp |title = I-81 History |publisher = Virginia Department of Transportation |access-date = January 29, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071113221553/http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/constSTAN-I81-history.asp |archive-date = November 13, 2007 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}

The first statewide segment to be completed was that of West Virginia, which was finished in 1966. The section opened on October 19, 1966.{{Cite news |title = Interstate Hwy 81 Opens Soon |date = October 6, 1966 |work = Morgantown Dominion News }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} In western Maryland, various parts of I-81 were built in the early 1960s, and the remainder of the highway south to the Potomac River was under construction by 1965{{NBI |structurenumber = 100000210078011 |datakey = 275455 |access-date = February 3, 2018 }} and opened in 1966.{{cite web |url = https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/interstate-system/50th-anniversary |title = Previous Interstate Facts of the Day |work = Eisenhower Interstate Highway System Home Page |at = See June 8, 2010 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060426084506/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/previousfacts.cfm|archive-date =April 26, 2006|url-status =live|access-date = February 3, 2018 }} Since then, I-81 in Maryland has remained largely unchanged. In Tennessee by 1965, {{Convert|336|mi|km|abbr=values}} of the {{Convert|997|mi|km}} of Interstate Highways were completed. Construction was expected to be finished in 1969,{{Cite news |title = Where Do We Stand On The Interstate? |date = May 2, 1965 |work = Kingsport Times-News }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} but a large portion of the work would not be completed until 1974, and most of the road was open by December 1974.{{Cite news |title = East Tennessee's Christmas Present |date = December 10, 1974 |work = Kingsport Times }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} The final major segment of the Interstate in the north to be built was a {{convert|17|mi|km|adj=on}} section in New York, opened in October 1968.{{Cite news |title = Final Links of Interstate 81 to Be Opened with Friday Rites |date = October 14, 1968 |work = Syracuse Post Standard }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} That same year, work in Pennsylvania was completed.{{Cite news |title = Interstate Highway Construction |date = October 22, 1968 |work = Somerset Daily News }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} The road would not be completely built in Tennessee until August 1975.{{Cite news |title = Interstate 81 Four-Lane Opens |date = August 28, 1975 |work = Kingsport News }}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} Construction on parts in Virginia dragged on until it was finished in July 1987. The segment in New York cost $270 million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|270000000|1987}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}) to build.

Major intersections

;Tennessee

{{jct|country=USA|I|40}} near Dandridge, northeast of Knoxville
{{jct|country=USA|I|26|US|23}} between the Tri-Cities

;Virginia

{{jct|country=USA|I|381}} in Bristol
{{jct|country=USA|US|11}} several times
{{jct|country=USA|I|77}} in Wytheville; concurrent from Wytheville to Fort Chiswell.
{{jct|country=USA|Future|73|I|581|US|220}} in Roanoke
{{jct|country=USA|I|64}} in Lexington; concurrent through Staunton.
{{jct|country=USA|US|33}} in Harrisonburg
{{jct|country=USA|I|66}} in Middletown
{{jct|country=USA|US|17|US|50|US|522}} in Winchester

;Maryland

{{jct|country=USA|I|70}} in Hagerstown
{{jct|country=USA|US|40}} in Hagerstown

;Pennsylvania

{{Jct|state=PA|US|11|I-Toll|76|PATP}} in Middlesex Township (near Carlisle)
{{jct|state=PA|PA|581}} in Mechanicsburg
{{jct|country=USA|US|22|US|322}} in Harrisburg. I-81/US 322 concurrent throughout Harrisburg.
{{jct|country=USA|I|83|US|322}} in Harrisburg
{{jct|country=USA|I|78}} near Jonestown
{{jct|country=USA|I|80}} near Hazleton
{{jct|country=USA|I|476}} in Dupont (near Pittston)
{{jct|country=USA|I|84|dab1=Pennsylvania–Massachusetts|I|380|dab2=Pennsylvania|US|6}} in Dunmore (near Scranton)
{{jct|country=USA|I|476|US|6|US|11}} in Clarks Summit

;New York

{{jct|state=NY|I|86|SR|17|dab1=Pennsylvania–New York}} in Binghamton
{{jct|country=USA|I|88|dab1=New York}} in Binghamton
{{jct|country=USA|I|481}} in Syracuse
{{jct|country=USA|I|690}} in downtown Syracuse
{{jct|country=USA|I|90}} in North Syracuse
{{jct|country=USA|I|781}} in Watertown
{{jct|province=ON|ON|137|ON|401|to2=yes}}; freeway ends at Canada–US border (Thousand Islands Bridge)

{{cite book |author = Rand McNally |year = 2014 |title = The Road Atlas |edition = Walmart |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |pages = 46, 71, 87–89, 95, 106–107, 112|isbn = 978-0-528-00771-2}}

Auxiliary routes

I-81 has six related, auxiliary Interstate Highways that connect the main freeway to downtowns and other cities. I-381 runs {{convert|1.5|mi|km}}, connecting Bristol, Virginia, to I-81.{{Cite web |author = Virginia Department of Transportation |url = http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/exit-numbers-381.asp |title = Virginia Interstate Exits |publisher = Virginia Department of Transportation |access-date = February 3, 2018 }} I-581 is a {{Convert|6.35|mi|km|-long|adj=mid}} spur that connects Roanoke, Virginia, to I-81. It is proposed to be overtaken by I-73.{{Cite web |author = Virginia Department of Transportation |year = 2013 |url = http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/Traffic_2012/AADT_080_Roanoke_2012.pdf |title = 2012 Virginia Department of Transportation Daily Traffic Volume Estimates Including Vehicle Classification Estimates |publisher = Virginia Department of Transportation }} Pennsylvania Route 581 (PA 581) connects Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to I-81. It runs {{convert|7.36|mi|km}}. I-481 serves as an eastern bypass of Syracuse, New York. NY 481 is a northwestern extension of I-481 that ends in Oswego.{{cite map |author = State of New York Department of Transportation |author-link = State of New York Department of Transportation |date = January 1, 1970 |url = http://www.greaternyroads.info/pdfs/state70.pdf |title = Official Description of Touring Routes in New York State |location = Albany |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = February 3, 2018 }}{{full citation needed|date= February 2018}} I-781 extends for {{convert|4.9|mi|km}}, that connects Fort Drum, New York, to the Interstate.{{cite news |url = http://watertown.ynn.com/content/top_stories/619597/fort-drum-connector-road-officially-open/ |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130210081736/http://watertown.ynn.com/content/top_stories/619597/fort-drum-connector-road-officially-open/ |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 10, 2013 |title = Fort Drum connector road officially open |publisher = YNN Central New York |location = Syracuse, NY |date = December 6, 2012 |access-date = February 2, 2018 }} NY 281 is a north–south state highway in Central New York in the US that extends for {{convert|16.56|mi|km}} across Cortland and Onondaga counties, roughly paralleling I-81 and connecting at both ends.{{cite web |author = Highway Data Services Bureau |url = https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT_Traffic_Data_Report_2014.pdf |title = 2014 Traffic Volume Report for New York State |location = Albany |publisher = New York State Department of Transportation |access-date = February 2, 2018 }}

I-181 was a {{convert|23.85|mi|km|adj=on}} offshoot of I-81, linking to Kingsport, Tennessee. It was decommissioned in August 2005 when I-26 took over I-181's entire length.{{cite news |last = Allen |first = Calvin |date = July 16, 2003 |url = http://www.mountainx.com/article/11472/The-political-history-of-I-26 |title = The Political History of I-26 |work = Mountain Xpress |location = Asheville, NC |access-date = February 2, 2018 }} I-281 was replaced in January 1970 by I-481. I-81E was replaced by the current I-380.{{Cite map |url = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_Highway_plan_June_27,_1958.jpg |title = Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials |date = June 27, 1958 |author = American Association of State Highway Officials |scale = Scale not given |location = Washington, DC |publisher = American Association of State Highway Officials |access-date = February 7, 2018 |via = Wikimedia Commons }}

References

External links

{{osmrelation-inline|303868}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20150924000235/http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week65.html Thousand Islands Bridge System], showing the bridges and connections at the northern terminus
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080311002326/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/econDev/i81va.htm Economic Development History of Interstate 81 in Virginia], a Federal Highway Administration report.