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After nearly four years of construction, two truck climbing lanes on Interstate 81 in Virginia are nearing completion.ÌýOne isÌýahead of schedule and set to open as early as this summer, and the otherÌýis little behind schedule.

Virginia began work on theÌýlanes in 2009 along separate stretches of the highway — one in Montgomery County near Christiansburg, the other in Rockbridge County near Fairfield.

Running 325 miles through Virginia, I-81 stretches from the Tennessee state line northeast along the Appalachian, Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains before crossing into West Virginia.

The highway is one of the most heavily traveled truck routes in the nation, said Jason Bond, Virginia Department of Transportation spokesman for the Montgomery County region.