RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Jim Jennings 540-839-7537 Jim.Jennings@VirginiaDOT.org

CULP-0423 April 21, 2004

FIVE MILES OF EASTBOUND I-66 TO BE REDUCED TO ONE LANE
Stretch of Poor Pavement from Warren/Fauquier County Line to be Milled / Paved

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans to close one lane of Eastbound I-66 for five miles, from the Warren/Fauquier County line to the Markham exit to mill and repair the pothole-wracked right-hand side travel lane.

The contractor, Superior Paving, will close the right-hand lane and begin the operation at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 25 and will work until 4:30 a.m. At that point, both eastbound lanes will be reopened, but there will be a two-inch difference in road height from the outside to inside lane.

At 7 a.m. (depending on traffic), I-66 will again be reduced to one lane so the operation may continue. The contractor plans on repairing a 1.5-mile long section of the highway at a stretch. Depending upon the weather, the project could take a minimum of five days or, if the weather worsens, even longer.

VDOT plans to establish message boards to advise motorists, and motorists using eastbound Route 55 are encouraged to enter I-66 at Markham, rather than at Linden. On the last day of the project, motorists will be advised to enter I-66 at Delaplane.

After the emergency repairs are completed, VDOT plans to go back and repave the inside (or left-hand) lane for the same difference, but not during rush hour.