VDOT starts a three-year, $36 million rebuild of Millwood Pike and Millwood Avenue in early November, including a new nine-lane bridge over I-81 at Exit 313.

Construction starts in early November on a three-year rebuild of the main road into Winchester from Interstate 81’s Exit 313. The job replaces the bridge that carries Millwood Pike over I-81 and reshapes Millwood Avenue up to Apple Blossom Drive.

The Virginia Department of Transportation announced the start in a news release Thursday. Work runs between Route 522 (Front Royal Pike) and Apple Blossom Drive. VDOT schedules completion for late 2029.

A new bridge over I-81

The current bridge is seven lanes wide and was built in 1964. VDOT said it is near the end of its service life.

A new nine-lane bridge will go up just north of the old one, so traffic can keep using the existing bridge while it is built. Part of Millwood Pike will be moved to line up with the new crossing. According to VDOT’s Millwood Pike bridge project page, the new bridge will carry three lanes westbound toward the city, two eastbound and two left-turn lanes in the center. The Exit 313 off-ramps from both directions of I-81 get a wider curve.

The bridge sits in Frederick County, just outside the city line. The Winchester half of the work is on Millwood Avenue.

What changes on Millwood Avenue

VDOT’s release and its Millwood Avenue project page list these changes:

  • an eastbound extra lane from Apple Blossom Drive to the southbound I-81 on-ramp
  • two left-turn lanes from westbound Millwood Avenue onto Apple Blossom Drive
  • a rebuilt Mall Boulevard intersection with the median crossover and traffic signal removed, so drivers can only turn right into and out of Mall Boulevard
  • a shared-use path along the north side of the road for the full length of the project
  • a new signalized crosswalk between Shenandoah University’s main campus and South Campus Commons, near Abrams Creek

The Mall Boulevard change is the one regular drivers will notice most. Anyone who now turns left from Mall Boulevard onto Millwood will have to find another route once it is done. VDOT said removing the signal will cut delays on Millwood.

VDOT counted about 32,000 vehicles a day on this part of Millwood Avenue in 2019. It expects more than 61,000 a day by 2045.

What it will cost

The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded the construction contract in September to Branch Civil Inc. of Roanoke, Virginia, for $35,975,585. One contract covers the bridge, the Exit 313 ramps and the Millwood Avenue work.

VDOT’s project pages give fuller estimates that include design and land:

Project VDOT estimate
Millwood Pike bridge over I-81, Frederick County about $68 million
Millwood Avenue, Winchester $15.2 million

What drivers should expect

VDOT said that in the early stages drivers should expect shoulder and single-lane closures on Millwood and on I-81, mostly at night and overnight. Daytime lane closures may sometimes be needed on Millwood to move materials and equipment, and again when traffic switches to the new bridge.

The first lane closures appear in VDOT’s traffic alert for Nov. 2-6: eastbound and westbound lane and shoulder closures “as needed” between Front Royal Pike and Apple Blossom Drive.

Pedestrian crosswalks may be moved for a time to keep people out of active work zones, VDOT said. Its project page says pedestrians are not allowed in the work zone during construction.

The city’s culvert job

Separately, the city of Winchester is replacing a box culvert under Millwood Avenue at Abrams Creek. VDOT said the city expects to finish that work in early 2027. The city describes it on its Millwood Avenue improvements page as a project to replace failing culverts and move utilities under the road.

What it means for you

  • If you use Exit 313 or Millwood Avenue, expect lane closures, mostly at night, from next week until late 2029. Check 511 Virginia before late-night trips.
  • If you turn left at Mall Boulevard, that turn goes away when the intersection is rebuilt. VDOT has not yet given a date for that stage.
  • If you walk between Shenandoah University’s campuses, watch for moved crosswalks and stay out of fenced work areas.
  • To report a hazard in the work zone, call the VDOT Customer Service Center at 800-367-7623, open 24 hours a day.

We list each week’s closures, city and state, on our Winchester road closures page. For routes into the city, see getting around Winchester.

VDOT says all work depends on the weather and schedules may change.