(abbreviated '''I-81''') is an
Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the
United States . Its southern terminus is at
Interstate 40 near
Dandridge, Tennessee ; its northern terminus is on
Wellesley Island (near
Fishers Landing, New York ) at the
Canadian Border where the
Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to
Ontario Highway 401 , the main freeway leading from
Windsor -
Detroit and
Toronto to
Montréal .
I-81 was originally a "line on a map" Interstate. For many years, it existed more to provide a path through the
Appalachians than to relieve congestion on any specific route.
However, I-81 has become a major route for interstate truck transportation in recent years. Trucking companies that have tired of fighting big-city congestion along
Interstate 95 are now opting to use this less congested inland route.
Bolded cities are officially-designated
Control Cities for signs.
- Interstate 40 near Dandridge, Tennessee , northeast of Knoxville
- Interstate 26 between the Tri-Cities, Tennessee
- Interstate 77 in Wytheville, Virginia . They stay joined for about 10 miles (16 km), and go in opposite directions.
- Interstate 64 in Lexington, Virginia . They stay joined until Staunton, Virginia .
- Interstate 66 in Middletown, Virginia
- Interstate 70 in Hagerstown, Maryland
- Interstate 76 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- Interstate 83 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Interstate 78 in Bordnersville, Pennsylvania (near Jonestown, Pennsylvania )
- Interstate 80 in St. Johns, Pennsylvania (near Hazleton, Pennsylvania )
- Interstate 84 and Interstate 380 in Scranton, Pennsylvania
- Interstate 476 in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania and in Pittston, Pennsylvania
- Interstate 88 and future Interstate 86 in Binghamton, New York
- Interstate 690 in downtown Syracuse, New York
- Interstate 90 in North Syracuse, New York
There are three current child routes either providing access to, or bypassing, various cities along Interstate 81's route.
,
Virginia .]]
- Virginia has proposed to widen its entire portion of I-81 to a minimum of three or four lanes in each direction to accommodate increased truck traffic and to Toll non-passenger vehicles. Some sections of the new Virginia I-81 may completely separate car and truck traffic. For more comprehensive information on Virginia's plans for the I-81 corridor, see this site . A similar propsal in Pennsylvania has also been studied.[http://www.i-81study.com/about.htm]
- I-81 runs together with Interstate 77 in Wytheville, Virginia for about 10 miles (16 km), but the two go in opposite directions, creating a Wrong-way Concurrency . Motorists traveling northbound on I-81 are also traveling southbound on I-77, though they are actually going east. Likewise, motorists traveling southbound on I-81 are also traveling northbound on I-77, though they are actually going west.
- There was an eastern branch, called I-81E, that was a spur from Scranton to Pocono in Pennsylvania. That highway is now I-380.
- I-481 around Syracuse, New York was planned as I-281, and the first portion of the bypass to be completed was briefly signed as I-281. However, the route number was changed to avoid confusion with nearby NY 281.
- Around I-81's northern terminus at the Canadian border, two toll bridges over the St. Lawrence River connect it to unsigned Ontario Highway 137 , a short link to Highway 401 in Ontario . The bridges are on opposite sides of the border (southern bridge is I-81, northern bridge is ON 137). The southern bridge is one of the few remaining 2-lane Interstate stretches left on the system. The border itself is marked by a 90-foot bridge across International Rift between Wellesley Island, New York and Hill Island, Ontario . 38 miles to the east lies Highway 416 leading to Ottawa .
- I-81 connects indirectly with I-76 PA Turnpike in Carlisle, PA (Carlisle Interchange) in order to connect you need to go 1 mile on US Route 11 . Dubbed by locals as the "Miracle Mile".
- Another way to I-76 PA Turnpike it connects for thoses of you who prefer interstate is via I-83 to I-283 (Harrisburg East Interchange).
