Road Improvement on Port Republic

Those who travel through Harrisonburg’s busy Port Republic Road have likely noticed construction work happening at the northbound I-81 exit intersection this week. 

Crews are doing infrastructure work needed for realignment and plan to be completed this summer. The project will ultimately align the I-81 northbound off-ramp with Forest Hill Road in order to make the intersection safer. The city deliberately planned the bulk of the work to take place during James Madison University’s spring break to avoid as much traffic as possible while many students travel for the week.

​VDOT awarded Harrisonburg a Virginia Department of Transportation Smart Scale grant for this realignment, showing its value and the importance of keeping up to date with street improvements in the city. While construction work can be a pain to drivers who frequent Port Republic, this project’s purpose is to make a busy intersection more breathable in the long run and will ultimately improve drivers’ experience on Port.