Interstate 81 (I-81) is an Interstate Highway. In the US state of Virginia, I-81 runs for , making the portion in Virginia longer than any other state's portion of the route. It is also the longest Interstate Highway within the borders of Virginia. It stretches from the Tennessee state line near Bristol to the West Virginia state line near Winchester. It enters Virginia from Bristol, Tennessee, and leaves Virginia into Berkeley County, West Virginia. The route passes through the cities of Bristol, Roanoke, Lexington, Staunton, and Harrisonburg.
Route description
Tennessee to Wytheville
I-81 enters Virginia from Tennessee, where the Interstate continues southwest toward Knoxville. After crossing the state line, the highway effectively becomes the border between Washington County to the northwest and the independent city of Bristol to the southeast. I-81 continues northeast as a six-lane freeway through sparsely populated residential areas on the outskirts of Bristol. The highway immediately comes to a northbound rest area that does not serve trucks, before it reaches an interchange with US Route 58 (US 58) and US 421 that also serve the town of Gate City, the county seat of neighboring Scott County to the west. Eastbound US 58 merges onto northbound I-81 to form a concurrency that continues northeast to a directional stack interchange with the northern terminus of I-381, an auxiliary Interstate Highway that serves downtown Bristol to the south. The freeway heads into a mix of commercial and residential areas where it has interchanges with US 11/US 19 prior to crossing over the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pulaski District, before the route fully enters Washington County. I-81/US 58 narrows to four lanes and heads into wooded rural areas with nearby development, coming to another interchange serving US 11/US 19 as well as an interchange with State Route 611 (SR 611) and a northbound truck rest area, before it passes along the southern edge of the town limits of Abingdon, the county seat of Washington County. South of Abingdon, the freeway interchanges with SR 140, which provides access to US 19 and Virginia Highlands Community College. North of this point are interchanges with US 58 Alternate (US 58 Alt)/SR 75, providing access to the Virginia Creeper Trail and Barter Theatre and with US 11, where eastbound US 58 splits from I-81 continuing east toward the town of Damascus.
I-81 continues northeast from Abingdon along its own alignment, interchanging with SR 704, SR 80 south of the unincorporated village of Meadowview, and SR 737 south of the unincorporated town of Emory. The highway then comes to an interchange with SR 91 in a commercial area, south of the town of Glade Spring that also provides access to the town of Saltville in the north. Past SR 91, the freeway begins to closely parallel US 11 on its southeastern side, reaching an interchange with that route before it curves and enters Smyth County, after which it crosses the Middle Fork of the Holston River and comes to an interchange with SR 107, within the town limits of Chilhowie. Northwest of Chilhowie, I-81 meets US 11/SR 645 at an interchange, southwest of the unincorporated village of Seven Mile Ford, where US 11 parallels the highway closely on the southeast once more. The freeway crosses over US 11, where that route moves to the northwest side of the highway, before reaching a split interchange serving the US Route, located to the southwest of the town of Marion, the county seat of Smyth County. Within Marion, I-81 interchanges with SR 16 that provides access to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Emory and Henry College's School of Health Sciences, and Grayson Highlands State Park, before reaching another interchange for US 11 outside the city limits, that also provides access to Hungry Mother State Park. From this point, the freeway is dedicated to Representative William C. Wampler and passes through rural areas of agriculture and rolling hills, with scattered areas of residences and industry. In this area, I-81 has interchanges with US 11 in the unincorporated town of Atkins. It then crosses over US 11 and the Pulaski District rail line and passes a southbound rest area, with SR 683 near the unincorporated village of Groseclose, before passing to the northwest of Mountain Empire Airport prior to coming into Wythe County.