Old NB BGS, courtesy H.B. Elkins. I-81 and US 11 are practically inseparable, save a brief stretch through the middle of Pennsylvania, and only at the Thousand Islands Bridge does US 11 bid farewell to its trusty counterpart and sorrowfully head off alone toward I-87 and Canada.

The next four photos are courtesy Lou Corsaro.


See what I mean by inseparable? I-81 will even pull a blank off a BGS to be its companion.


The short VA 140 SB off of US 11/19 south of Abingdon. It ends here. Strangely, the south side of this interchange (with I-81 NB/US 58 EB) is a pair of loop ramps with no finger ramps (those being the outside of the loops). Unless this is an interchange with unusually peaky traffic, such that left turns are ill-advised from Route 140 but there's no mix of traffic between loops, I can't see why so much land would be wasted.

VA 91 NB.


Not an immediately obvious error, but US 121 is a new highway in West Virginia. VA 121 is a tiny spur to Max Meadows. Just for fun, the east side of Wytheville has I-81 NB, US 11 NB, I-77 SB, and US 52 SB all on the same road for seven miles to this point, so the freeway runs basically east-west from Wytheville to Fort Chiswell and has an extra lane each way to handle them all.


F routes are frontage roads. The north frontage is Lee Hwy. and the south one is Chapman Rd. At what point do you just acknowledge that this exit connects to no roads and leads nowhere?


The wrong-way concurrency comes to an end. The sign could be at least 2' narrower if Virginia used "WV," the MUTCD-preferred abbreviation.


NB up to Exit 191 for I-64 WB. EB continues ahead.


Two different styles on the NB Exit 140 ramp. The one on the left is correct.


Rock down to VA 419 NB, Electric Rd. in Roanoke.


I-81 NB/I-64 EB.


Another state-name shield, this time in BGS form, courtesy Doug Kerr.


Southbound at Exit 313, courtesy Lou Corsaro again, where the WB-SB loop from US 50/522 (with US 17 NB) was removed in favor of a left turn onto the former EB-only ramp in order to improve weaving on I-81 SB.


These northbound signs have seen better days. Do me one favor - keep the Exit 307 up a bit longer. Last photo courtesy Lou Corsaro.


More SB signs from Lou, taking traffic to a different exit for the same destination (in downtown Winchester). The BGS entering the state isn't quite right, reflecting some older standards - it should be VA Secondary 669 (no outline) TO US 11 (in a shield). The new Clearview BGS is also not right, as it connects to US 11 north of VA 37, not US 37.


All of the route numbers are inside the correct shields, although maybe not in the right place inside. The directional banners are too tiny to be useful, and there's no concept of spacing around the border.

Exit 72 to I-77 alone

Into West Virginia on I-81
Exit 10, 317, or 323 to US 11
Exit 10 to US 19
To US 58
Exit 80 to US 52
Exit 307 to US 340
Exit 313 to US 17
Exit 313 or 317 to US 50
Exit 313 or 317 to US 522
Exit 317 to VA 37
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