Comments on: surviving I-81

By: Linda Meyer

Linda Meyer — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:48:02 +0000

i used to live 100 miles no. of NYc/I go up to visit-isn’t it easier to do 81 to 78 west to 287 north & than the spur into NYC? It’s 550 miles from my door up to destination in southern Orange County & NYC would be 50 closer to NYC. Going your way is major traffic too. I’ll do it mid-May.

By: VA Native in NYC

VA Native in NYC — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:13:53 +0000

(left out a stepL NJ Turnpike to i-95 in Del,
follow through Baltimore to DC Beltway…)

By: VA Native in NYC

VA Native in NYC — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:13:01 +0000

I have done the ride so many times I can’t count.
Actually, there’s a great non-stop flight from LaGuardia to Roanoke – less than 2 hours travel time for about $180 roundtrip! BUT, when I do drive, as I will the first week in April for me the least stressful and essentially same timing is NYC down the NJ Turnpike, DC Beltway to 66, off at Rt. 29 and down to Charlottesville, jump on 64 to Waynesboro, jump off through Stewarts Draft, and down Rt. 11 to near Lexington, then jump on 81 to Roanoke/Blacksburg area depending on where you’re headed. Runs about 8 hours and unless something hideous is blocking the DC Beltway – there is everything under the sun you could need along the way and you don’t feel like your going it alone in the sticks.

By: ROGER

ROGER — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:33:13 +0000

PS Maybe your dreams will come true and I’ll retire a little early I have a farm and will very seldom need anything from one of your trains

By: ROGER

ROGER — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:25:44 +0000

And Mr. ED Walton it’s obvious you don’t like trucks or maybe have stock in the railroads.Railroads don’t go everywhere produce from CA to NY would rot before it got to you or get lost. Railroads are good at losing things. And when the time comes that we pay 50 cents a mile to travel down the road you’ll pay 25.00 dollars for a bag of oranges.WE pay taxes for the fuel we buy and all the miles we travel as well as 550.00 dollars each for the priviledge of buying a 1650.00 tag.And then I pay fuel taxes each month.Be carefull what you wish for that gallon of milk might cost you 21.00 dollars that would suck wouldn’t it.

By: ROGER

ROGER — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:16:48 +0000

Guys I have driven semi’s for over 20 year’s and have had over 5 million miles accident free. When you refer to trucks as monsters and such remember although you probably have no data base to go back to as far as driving a truck I can tell you well the many times I’ve had to dodge women putting on make-up,men on cell phones,everyone texting not to mention tailgaters people who pass me then cut quickly back in front of me and slow down or stop in the road and then procede to make a right turn.Granted their are dangerous truckers but their are more dangerous 4 wheelers we have to contend with.Best advice is stay away from the truck if you can he’ll like you better for it and you may live another day because of it.

By: Ed Walton

Ed Walton — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:15:52 +0000

The real problem is that trucks don’t pay their full cost of being on our public highways. We are afraid of them but we don’t charge them for the full use of the road. Trucks pay 18 cents per gallon for federal tax on fuel. At 6 mpg, that means they pay 3 cents per mile. How can an 80,000 pound truck pay its way at 3 cents per mile? It can’t – that is why the highway trust fun is broke, so what do we do? We take the extra money needed out of the general fund. We pay with deficit spending for the trucks to be on the highway!!

If we simply charged them what they cost for cost of the road, and the wear and tear, it would cost about 50 cents per mile. And – the long-distance freight will go by rail. For one-fourth the fuel, one fourth the pollution – and no accidents and deaths on the interstate. We will still have to subsidize them a short distance from the rail yard to the customer. But the majority of the route will be off the public highway, which will not require repaving. Why not just charge them what it costs? Why subsidize these killing machines?

By: Brandon

Brandon — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:50:55 +0000

i travel from berkeley springs WVA to winchester where i hit 81 S all the way down to knoxville….it truely is one of the best drives i have ever experienced but i will agree with anyone who drives this road when they say that Semi’s own and most of the drivers like to stay in the passing lane right beside a Semi at a steady speed and not passing. i unfortunetly am one of those guys that when you get the chance to pass no matter what lane it is, i take it, i kno its dangerous but when it comes down to driving around crazy drivers you have to be just as crazy. and once i get in the open around Blacksburg,i set the cruise at 74 and set back and enjoy and try not to hit the breaks as much as the others. i stop twice once for gas and once for food i make to knoxville which is around 500 miles for me in about 6.5 hrs good time when driving like i do. BUT do NOT worry i am a good driver and i wont wreck you….BUT there was an issue friday where i went to go around a Semi and he decided to come over in the passing lane with no signal and ran me off the road into the median going 75 MPH in a 2001 Ford escape. come to find out the cops stopped him right before the VA state line and the guy was seriously drunk….so if you see a 2001 Ford Escape dark green with WVA tags and a confederate flag in the back window blow the horn and ill wave…..IF YOU CAN CATCH ME lol

By: Nate Cummings

Nate Cummings — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:03:39 +0000

I have driven from Radford, VA to Columbia, PA about 100 times since August, 2007. Your synopsis is right on the mark, if not a little understated!

By: Ron Dees

Ron Dees — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:49:53 +0000

I-95 would be my choice. Make sure you stop at Ralph’s Barbecue in Weldon. They serve one of the best country buffets in the state.