SMYTH COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
According to VDOT, drivers can expect delays from mile marker 38 to 40 in Smyth County.
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Emergency road work to repair guardrails will take place from Saturday at 4:49 p.m. to Sunday at 2 a.m.
Authorities say the north right lane is closed.
ORIGINAL STORY
A portion of I-81 northbound in Smyth County is closed due to a deadly tractor-trailer crash.
At 6:46 a.m. Saturday, Virginia State Police responded to a crash on I-81 at the 39 mile marker in Smyth County. Police say a tractor-trailer traveling south on I-81 ran off the left side of the interstate, went through the median, struck a tractor-trailer in the northbound lanes and then a concrete barrier.
Police said two people are dead and one additional person has been transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
The Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team and Crash Reconstruction Team are both on scene to assist with the ongoing crash investigation.
At mile marker 39.5, motorists can expect delays. According to VDOT, all north lanes are closed and traffic backups are approximately one mile.
Traffic is being detoured onto US-11 North at Exit 39, then back onto I-81 North at Exit 44.
For the latest updates on this crash, check out Virginia 511.