VDOT is closing down southbound Interstate 81 all the way from Dixie Caverns to Christiansburg — a shutdown that could remain in place anywhere from one to ten days. The department says crews have been repairing an unstable slope in the climbing lane construction zone , but after blasting yesterday, an existing crack in the slope got much larger. The resulting decision: close the southbound lanes between exits 132 and 118 until crews can stabilize the slope. Until that’s done, southbound traffic will be detoured onto US 11/460, and lengthy southbound backups in the Salem area are a certainty.
VDOT spokesperson Jason Bond:
