FINCASTLE, Va. – The detour around Route 220 in Botetourt County after a tanker caught fire could come to an end soon.
The crash last week destroyed a section of 220's northbound lanes just north of Fincastle. Virginia Department of Transportation crews have stabilized the southbound section of the four-lane highway and are preparing to shift all traffic onto those two lanes as soon as Thursday morning.
"We've been working as quickly as we can to get this traffic pattern implemented," VDOT spokesperson Jason Bond said. "We really appreciate people's patience."
Traffic is currently down to one lane on Highway 220; northbound traffic is using a southbound lane, while southbound traffic has been detoured through neighborhood roads. Crews spent Wednesday paving sections of the median so all traffic can safely shift to the southbound lanes. Once that construction is done, two-way traffic, including truckers, will return to that stretch of highway.
"This is a huge accomplishment to be able to get traffic shifted over and to stop impacting not only local traffic, but truck traffic," Bond said. "This is not the ultimate fix for this damaged section of roadway. This is simply making traffic more manageable."
The damaged section of northbound 220 where the tanker crashed will likely not be repaired for more than a month.