Just curious if anyone else traveling I-81 is wondering if the construction will ever end. I drive from exit 5 all the way through Martinsburg and up to Hagerstown each day. It seems like I've been staring at this stuff for years. Sections that were complete are chewed up about once a month to put new lines on, then are paved over, chewed up, paved again, new lines...and on and on.

And does anyone think the roads will be easier to travel once the state finishes?? On the couple of miles where the lanes are 3 wide, it is nothing but a race track. Traffic goes from 60 in the construction zone up to 90 in a matter of seconds: trucks, cars, suv's, semis, everyone's racing for top position once the roads narrow back down to 2 lanes, at which point everyone slams on the brakes and drops back down to 70. It drives me insane!

Hey,cheer up!It's getting warmer and ya know what that means...MORE CONSTRUCTION!! Your tax dollars in motion.

Talked to a fella that works on the site and he said things woulda been done about a year ago but he says "Politics" is slowing the process. So you can thank your local WV Politician for the delays

By the Way, what is the point of the construction anyway? Just to waste tax dollars on something that isn't even needed. We do not have enough traffic (yet) to make a 6 lane highway. Pointless!! Then they just tear it up and redo the whole thing. From what I see, when they are going to finish a project early, they either move slower, or they tear something up and do it again.

I beg to differ. I drive 81 everyday and it's pretty packed. The population of the county has grown by about 50% in the past decade - that's a lot more cars to try and compete with all of the trucks. Would it make sense to wait another ten years, when the population is up to 125,000, to start widening the road? I-81 is the second busiest interstate in the eastern United States, second only to I-95. Maryland's going to do the same thing. The Hagerstown corridor of 81 is even worse. And 1-70's nothing to brag about. They all need widened. Four lanes was good for forty years, six should get us another forty.

Where's the Pot Hole Fairy? There are holes around this area that are just waiting in ambush for cars! Not only do ya have to look out for the goof-balls driving at ya but now the pot holes are out to get ya from the ground!
It's dangerous out there people

I'm glad that they are widening the interstate! Traffic will flow a lot easier. I just remember that when they started it, it was supposed to be finished like in 2001, which they're a little behind.

There are potholes on Tablers Station Road with grass growing in them.

5car why does that NOT surprise me.?

Those boys sure are movin fast on the bridge at exit 20!
At least I think so.
Not like the King St. fiasco!
And the pot-hole fairy came and fixed the huge,mutant,car eating pot hole on I-81 S near the Rest Area!Yeah!

I agree, the Spring Mills project has gone very well. The only thing I wonder about is the intersection at 11/901. It doesn't seem like there's going to be any improvement in the line of sight (south) when trying to turn left onto 11 (north). You can't see over the hill, but their obviously not cutting out any of the hill because the entire project, including the bridge, is supposed to be done in a couple of weeks. Maybe they'll put up a signal there.

As much traffic that runs thru there they should.Which of course means that they won't!
It's always been hard to see there to pull out.I'm really surprised that there hasn't been more accidents there! (knock on wood!)

Yeah, I pretty much have to hammer it every time I turn there. Sometimes it's worth it just to go up to exit 23 and get on 11 there, even though I live south of 23.

Sometime last week, between the rain drops, they repaved
a portion of Tablers Station Road east of I-81, where all
the previously mentioned potholes were...

On I-81, it appears that the weather has held up completion
of the shoulders where the highway crosses Tuscarora Creek
just north of King Street...

After that huge wreck a few weeks ago where the tractor-trailer
went through the cable barrier, I was wonderng what your-alls
thoughts were on that ? IMO, that stretch of road is a tragedy
waiting to happen.

The wreck last week just prove that the cables are worthless! People are going to lose their lives because the Gov. is too cheap to put up concret!

The widening is greatly needed. All you have to do is drive through the Frederick Maryland area and see what it looks like. Frederick was like our area about 18 years ago. Why do individuals have the mentality that we have to wait until there is a problem to do something about it. I deal with the traffic myself, but in the end, it will be worth it. As far as paving being reripped up, I must have missed that phase of the project. Most construction companies pull off of outside jobs in the winter for safety reasons and colder temps, so as for blaming the politicians, don't. The one phase was held up, because the concrete beam wasn't up to specs on the King St overpass. Would you rather have the bridge over the interstate collapse? Look at it this way, we could be like our neighbor state Maryland and just be starting to conduct an expensive survey to see if improvements are needed.

Hell, even conventional guardrails would be better than those damned cables. It looks totally ridiculous. After the first section went up late last summer, a passenger car went right through them just north of 16. The only other place I've seen this type of cable system is on a lot of the western Maryland secondary roads, if that tells ya anything. They might as well had left it without any type of barrier - at least it wouldn't have been a waste.

I'd be amazed if we see the Maryland portion widened anytime soon.

For one thing, since they 'own' the river, the bridge work will have
to be coordinated by them. They can't even get the bridge replaced
at Shepherdstown !!!

And I agree about the lack of forethought in highway design and
construction. They always build just what's needed without going
the extra mile and making it a little more convenient and safer.
The merge lanes at Queen street are one example...that has to
be the most ridiculous design I've ever seen. There isn't a DMV
driver's manual anywhere that illustrates a design like that. Heck,
none of the entrance ramps in WV have any merging areas. And
I've seen countless 'blue hairs' (sorry if I offend anyone) that
literally STOP right in front of you when they are trying to merge
into traffic on the interstate. I've had to swerve to their right and
pass them on the shoulder save from hitting them. It says MERGE,
people....not STOP !!!! You are supposed to ACCELERATE and
slide into traffic without slowing down the folks behind you on the
ramp or those already in the right lane of the highway.

I say if they have "blue hair" take them on a road test!

I haven't seen a Yeild sign anywhere yet in WV.
I don't think they're being made any more are they?

Yeild signs are all over Alabama.

I appreciate the three lanes being put in. I have to travel that strip of 81 every day to and from work and the three lanes are a good idea if you ask me. Now if only the drivers would follow the correct traffic pattern. People just get in whatever lane they feel like and are oblivious to anyone around them. They don't realize that the third lane was put in so that we'd have a fast lane, a faster lane, and the fastest lane. I guess they think that the extra lane was just thrown in for them personally. /rant

From what I remember from drivers ed, you are suppose to be up to the traffic pattern speed be the time you merge into traffic. They have one yield sign now, coming of of the Winchester Ave exit going Northbound. Cable barriers are a joke. The largest growth area in the state and we couldn't even get jersey walls put in. I would like to know if the cables have even stopped anyone from going into the opposite lane. I am always seeing them ripped out of the ground, which tells me they are a waste of taxpayer dollars. Even the local law enforcement was against them, as wellas the local politicians. I would like to see the northbound lane finished. The orage barrels are still up and the only thing I see that needs completed is the bridge to have onw more asphalt layer applied on the shoulder lanes. What gives? I would be happy to see Rt 9 started towards Berkeley Springs. That traffic is a nightmare.

Aren't they going to build a freeway type bypass in Martinsburg similar to the one in Charles Town? I think that would help with traffic greatly on Route 9.

I had heard about a possible bypass around the eastern side of the city, connecting to 81 near Tablers Station (south) and Berkeley Station (north).