Route Description
The I-581 designation ends at the Elm Avenue (State Route 24) interchange in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, where US 220 continues south as the Roy L. Webber Expressway. I-581 was constructed as a six lane highway for its entire length and has not been widened in its history.
Most of I-581's exits are cloverleaf interchanges, which can cause weaving. The northern terminus has short merge areas with I-81, especially the left merge in the southbound direction. While traffic volumes can be high, especially near downtown Roanoke and Valley View Mall, bumper to bumper traffic is not common.
Roanoke Regional Airport, Valley View Mall, and the Roanoke Civic Center are all located adjacent to I-581. The Hershberger Road (State Route 101) exit has become a focus of development. In addition to Valley View, two large hotels were constructed in the early 1980s with another group of hotels being constructed from the mid 1990s through the present. In 2002, local CBS affiliate WDBJ constructed its new facility, designed to broadcast in HDTV, on Hershberger Road near I-581.
The southern end of I-581 offers views of the downtown Roanoke skyline, most prominently the Hotel Roanoke, the Wachovia Tower, the former Roanoke Shops of Norfolk Southern, the Norfolk Southern tower, and St. Andrews Catholic Church. The Mill Mountain Star is also clearly visible.
The road is planned to become part of an extension of Interstate 73 in Virginia.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 581
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