New gateway to Virginia Tech on Route 460 opens Thursday

Diverging diamond interchange project cost about $47 million

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The new gateway to Virginia Tech on Route 460 will officially open to all traffic Thursday.

Wednesday, Virginia Tech and VDOT officials cut the ribbon on the new diverging diamond interchange. It's only the second interchange of its kind in the region.

It will lead drivers onto Southgate Drive and into Virginia Tech.

Project leaders said the nearly $47 million project should improve safety.

"Anybody who drives this area knows that it gets very congested at that intersection on a daily basis, particularly during peak travel times, so this interchange will replace the intersection and that should help traffic move more smoothly between Route 460 and Southgate Drive," VDOT spokesman Jason Bond said.

This interchange eliminates the last signalized intersection on Route 460 from the I-81 interchange to the town of Narrows.


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