Route information | ||||
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Maintained by WVDOH | ||||
Length | 26.00 mi[1] (41.84 km) | |||
Existed | 1963[2]–present | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-81 at Virginia state line | |||
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North end | I-81 at Maryland state line | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | West Virginia | |||
Counties | Berkeley | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 81 (I-81) in the US state of West Virginia crosses the Eastern Panhandle region, linking Virginia to Maryland. The Interstate Highway, completed in 1966, spans 26 miles (42 km) through Berkeley County, paralleling U.S. Route 11 (US 11) for its entire length. I-81 enters the state near Ridgeway, travels northeast, bypassing the city of Martinsburg, and leaves the state at the Potomac River, which serves as the state line. The first solicitations for the construction of I-81 were published in 1959, with the first six miles (9.7 km) of freeway being opened in 1963, and the full length was completed by 1966. On average, between 45,000 and 60,000 vehicles use the freeway through the panhandle per day.
Doherty1972
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).