Three highway projects coming soon to Wythe County

BRISTOL — Three highway projects will be under construction soon in Wythe County.  
 
A $53.6 million contract was recently awarded to Branch Civil, Inc., Roanoke Va., to construct:

• The Progress Park Connector, a new 2.3-mile road located between Nye Road and E. Lee Trinkle Road, providing a direct connection to Wytheville’s Progress Park industrial site.
• Improvements to the I-77 exit 41 (Peppers Ferry) exit that will improve traffic flow and minimize congestion at the interchange.
• The addition of an auxiliary lane to connect the I-81 exit 73 on-ramp with the exit 72 off-ramp, creating an additional lane and providing additional space for merging and exiting traffic.

Work is anticipated to begin in early February.  
 
The I-77 exit 41 improvements and the southbound I-81 onramp extension between exits 73 and 72 are part of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement program. 

The I-77 exit 41 interchange improvement project will extend the I-77 northbound deceleration lane and reconfigure and reconstruct the I-77 northbound exit 41 loop ramp and entrance ramp to realign with the current connection to Nye Road at Peppers Ferry. 

The Progress Park Connector project is funded through VDOT’s SMART SCALE program. 
 
Motorists should be alert to work along the shoulder of I-81 between exits 73 and 72 and on I-77 near exit 41, as well as the possibility of nighttime lane closures at both locations. Because the Progress Park Connector is being built on a new location, minimal disruptions are anticipated.