I just noticed some news from the Roanoke Times about one of my least favorite roads -- Interstate 81 in Virginia. It seems a series of crashes along that interstate led to ferocious backups Sunday just as many people were heading back from Thanksgiving visiits.

I-81 is a particularly scary road because of its heavy truck traffic. It is one of the top truck routes in the country even though it has only two lanes in each direction for much of its length. With many severe curves and steep hills, the highway accounts for a large number of truck-involved crashes.

For Baltimoreans traveling south toward Charlotte, N.C., and other destinations, I strongly recommend U.S. 29 as an alternative. Once you get past Warrenton, Va., 29 moves as briskly as in interstate all the way through Virginia -- and with much lighter traffic than I-81. For travelers to the Shenandoah  Valley who aren't in a rush, a leisurely trip on historic U.S. 11 can make more sense that playing tag with tractor-trailers on I-81.

There  are various proposals in the works too upgrade Interstate 81 and to finance the improvements with tolls. With the recession, they all seem to be on the slow track.