Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995                   TAG: 9508310040
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THAT'S RIGHT: REPAIRING I-81 TO TAKE 2 YEARS

B.H., Roanoke

A: There's good news and bad news for regular users of the I-81 entrance at Hanging Rock.

The bad news is: You heard right. The southbound ramp will be shut down for two years.

The good news is: The plan received a stay of execution until after Labor Day. Originally, the ramp was going to close Wednesday.

Once the ramp is barricaded, probably Sept. 6, the Virginia Department of Transportation recommends entering southbound I-81 from Virginia 311, about 1 1/2 miles south of Hanging Rock.

Here's the full scope of the project: The two bridges, northbound and southbound, that span Mason Creek and Kessler Mill Road need replacing. They're not in danger of falling into the creek, the engineers say, but it's time to act.

While they're at it, the builders will make the new bridges big enough to accommodate a widened I-81, which is now in long-range planning.

Those bridges are too close to exit 141 for traffic to enter the southbound ramp and merge safely amid the construction chaos. The solution: close the ramp.

Temporary lanes are being built in the median so two lanes of traffic can keep flowing in each direction during busy hours. Night drivers may find the road narrowed to one lane between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

We'll need to slow down to 55 mph for the next two years at this site, but no traffic backups are expected, said Scott Hodges, who's managing the project for VDOT.

Traffic flow over Mason Creek is heavy - twice as much as in Botetourt County where I-81 is being resurfaced, Hodges said.|

Hurricanes don't mix

Q: Recently, two hurricanes and two tropical storms were in the Atlantic at the same time. Can these storms combine, and what would happen if they did?

M.L., Roanoke

A: "That doesn't happen," says Jerry Stenger at the Virginia State Climatology Office in Charlottesville.

If two storms approach, they rotate around each other, bouncing apart like steel ball bearings.

It has to do with basic physics. The storms are independent heat engines, each with its individual circulation.

Last week, Hurricanes Humberto and Iris drew near one another; but Humberto headed north, and Iris south.

They were too much alike.

Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.