Matt Busse

The widening effort is among dozens of construction projects in the state’s Interstate 81 Corridor Improvement Program.

Transmission line and substation upgrades are estimated to cost $264 million, but Appalachian Power says other customers won’t pay for it.

Monday’s announcement comes amid public pushback over the $67 billion merger, which would create the largest regulated electric utility business in the world.

The utility company asks drivers to be cautious traveling through work zones as it upgrades natural gas infrastructure in the area.

Virginia’s transportation agency says five years of data shows tow operators are getting the interstate flowing again more quickly after crashes involving commercial vehicles.

Passenger rail options in Roanoke and Lynchburg will be scaled back and service to Danville will be eliminated during Amtrak’s nine-day “Pause for Progress” project.

The company, which has 755 employees in Lynchburg and more than 1,400 overall, also makes mobile substations.

Plus: A Lynchburg-based electrical supplies company is acquired, and a job fair focused on veterans is coming up.

The Lynchburg-based nuclear technology firm aims to have a 20-megawatt microreactor up and running at Fort Campbell by the early 2030s.

Plus: A Roanoke-based construction firm names a new CEO, and Appalachian Power looks to add more energy storage to its portfolio.