Posted on 02/19/2021 10:05:48 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
WILLIAMSPORT — Shane Burkett has been watching the Interstate 81 Potomac River bridge work from the cab of a tractor-trailer.
Now that the new third lanes are open in each direction, the semi driver likes what he sees.
"I think it's great. I-81 is a massive highway. ... It's a big help having that third lane now," the Williamsport resident said.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration formally announced completion of the $104.6 million project Thursday.
The work, which has been years in the making, widened the interstate from two lanes to three lanes in each direction from near Exit 23 in West Virginia, across the Potomac River to near Exit 1 in Maryland.
Burkett said the stretch of highway is often busy. The third lane is particularly helpful when one heavy truck is passing another, he said.
Many heavy trucks are equipped with devices that limit their top speeds to 63 mph or 65 mph, for example. That small difference in top speeds means other vehicles can get backed up behind the trucks, because it can take a long time for one truck driver to pass another.
"It's the best he can do," Burkett said.
The third lane provides another path for drivers who want to go faster, he said.
Burkett also credits I-81 for current and future growth, pointing to new warehouses in the Hagerstown area and new residential developments in Berkeley County, W.Va. That means more truckers, commuters and other travelers will be sharing the road.
"I don't see that going away anytime soon," he said of the growth. "Trying to do that on two lanes, I think, would be a nightmare."
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldmailmedia.com ...
PING!
That’s the interstate that goes up through Watertown, NY and up to the bridge at Ivy Lea to cross into the Great White North, lol.
The “Willamsport” in the headline made me think the one in Pennsylvania, which is about 70 miles west of St. Johns on I-80, just north of Hazleton; St. Johns is where I-80 and I-81 meet in the state.
Seems they have one off every exit.
Was just thinking of I-81 earlier today while looking out at all the ice coating in my yard and trees. In the mid-70s took I-81 from Harrisonburg VA to Winchester VA in the middle of an ice storm, hairiest ride ever, the road was a zamboni’ed ice rink the whole way. A mile didn’t go by without a slip one way or the other.
I went through that area on a road trip in 2007. I followed the four-lane expressway south from Ontario 401, then over one two-lane suspension bridge to the customs area (the road remained two lanes through there), then re-entered the USA, where four-lane I-81 narrowed back to two lanes after a few miles to cross the other bridge.
mmmmm.....waffles....
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