Interstate 81

Interstate 81

Interstate 81 is an interstate highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 near Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is at Fishers Landing, New York at the Canadian border.

Table of contents

1 Distances by state
2 Major cities along the route
3 Intersections with other Interstates
4 Spur routes
5 Notes

Distances by state

Total - 824 miles (1326km)

Tennessee - 75 miles (121km)
Virginia - 323 miles (520km)
West Virginia - 23 miles (37km)
Maryland - 11 miles (18km)
Pennsylvania - 234 miles (377km)
New York - 158 miles (254km)

Major cities along the route

Intersections with other Interstates

Interstate 40 near Dandridge, Tennessee, northeast of Knoxville
Interstate 26 and Interstate 181 between the Tri-Cities, Tennessee
Interstate 77 in Wytheville, Virginia. They stay joined for about 10 miles (16km), and go in opposite directions.
Interstate 64 in Lexington, Virginia. They stay joined until Staunton, Virginia.
Interstate 66 in Middletown, Virginia
Interstate 70 in Hagerstown, Maryland
The eastern Interstate 76 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Interstate 83 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Interstate 78 in Bordnersville, Pennsylvania
Interstate 80 in Saint Johns, Pennsylvania
The eastern Interstate 84 in Scranton, Pennsylvania
The eastern Interstate 88 in Binghamton, New York
Interstate 90 in Syracuse, New York

Spur routes

I-181 - Spur to Kingsport, Tennessee. Once also connected to Johnson City, Tennessee, which is now Interstate 26, since September 2003.
I-381 - Bristol, Virginia
I-581 - Roanoke, Virginia
I-481 - Syracuse, New York

Notes

This road was originally a "line on a map" Interstate. For many years, it existed so more people can have a path through the Appalachians than to relieve congestion on that busy Roanoke-Harrisburg route.

However, I-81 has become a major route for interstate truck transportation in recent years. Trucking companies that have tired of fighting big-city congestion along Interstate 95 are now opting to use this less congested inland route. In fact, Virginia is planning to widen its entire portion of I-81 to a minimum of six lanes to accommodate increased truck traffic; one proposal calls for dedicated truck lanes.

I-81 runs together with Interstate 77 in Wytheville, Virginia for about 10 miles (16km), but the two go in opposite directions. Motorists traveling northbound on I-81 are also traveling southbound on I-77, though they are actually going east. Likewise, motorists traveling southbound on I-81 are also traveling northbound on I-77, though they are actually going west.