Interstate 581 is a spur off Interstate 81 into Roanoke, Virginia, United States, completely overlapping U.S. Route 220. It is proposed to be replaced by an extended Interstate 73. Future I-73 Corridor signs are marked on I-581; one of which on the southbound side just after Exit 2.
Route description
The I-581 designation ends at the Elm Avenueinterchange 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. Many of I-581's exits are cloverleaf interchanges, which results in weaving. The northern terminus has short merge areas with I-81, particularly the left-lane southbound merge. Roanoke Regional Airport, Valley View Mall, and the Roanoke Civic Center are all located adjacent to I-581. The Hershberger Road 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, localCBS affiliateWDBJ 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 Wells Fargo 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.
In 1980, the highway was extended approximately from the Elm Avenue interchange to State Route 419 near Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke County. US 220 continues as a four lane arterial road south of the SR 419 interchange. Since the extension was not constructed to full Interstate Highway standards, it only carried the US 220 designation and was named the Roy L. Webber Expressway after a former mayor of Roanoke. The primary interchange along the expressway is at Wonju Street, which links Franklin Road and Colonial Avenue and Brandon Avenue. This exit provides quick access to downtown Roanoke from residential areas in southwest Roanoke. Wonju Street is named after Wonju, South Korea, one of Roanoke's sister cities. The expressway was originally constructed with four lanes but was widened to six lanes in the mid-1990s.
