Highways

The Roanoke Valley is located along Interstate 81, a major north-south interstate running from Canada to Tennessee and ultimately, through connection with Interstate 85, covering the length of Florida.

Also running through the Roanoke Valley is US 220, which through connection to Interstate 64 in Virginia and Interstate 77 in North Carolina allows uninterrupted travel to the west coast of the United States and the southernmost point of Florida.

Additionally, US 460 runs through Roanoke County, connecting the Valley to Norfolk in the east and Kentucky in the west.

Interstates 64 and 77 are within 50 miles of the Roanoke Valley, connecting the area to locations west and south.

The Roanoke Valley is equally distanced between New York and Atlanta, putting two-thirds of the United State's population within a days drive.

Distances From Roanoke to:

Motor Freight

The following lines serve the Roanoke Valley with local, state and interstate service:

Railroads

Norfolk Southern Corporation, one of the nation’s premier transportation companies, has a historical relationship with the Roanoke Valley.  Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America’s largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

The Heartland Corridor is a three-year railway improvement project scheduled to be completed in 2010 that is expected to significantly increase the speed of containerized freight moving in double-stack trains between the East Coast and the Midwest. Currently, double-stack trains must take longer routes by way of Harrisburg, Pa., or Knoxville, Tenn. The Heartland Corridor goes across Virginia, through southern West Virginia and north through Ohio. The Heartland Corridor is a five-way partnership between Norfolk Southern, the states of Ohio, Virginia and West  Virginia, and the federal government. The Heartland Corridor Project 's purpose is to expand capacity, improve service consistency and reduce transit times between Norfolk ports and Columbus and Chicago. The Heartland Corridor will improve the route between Norfolk, VA and the Midwest by expanding tunnel clearances to allow double-stacked Intermodal trains. A new terminal is planned for Roanoke, VA.

(source: Norfolk Southern)

Typical Shipping Time by Railroad from Roanoke to:

General Aviation

 Roanoke Regional Airport is a full service airport, offering a wide range of services for all aviation types. The facility is 96,000 square feet. As the primary commercial airport serving western Virginia, Roanoke Regional Airport accommodates the aviation needs of the scheduled airlines, air freight carriers, general aviation, corporate, air taxi and charter operators, as well as the military.

Tthe Roanoke Regional Airport offers nonstop service to a 10 major cities, as well as frequent connecting service through the hubs of five major airlines.

(Source: Roanoke Regional Airport)

CARRIERS
Delta Connection
Allegiant Air
Northwest Airlink
United Express
US Airways Express
 

CARGO

Roanoke Regional Airport's 10-acre, $9.9 million cargo ramp and de-icing facility, completed in 1998, serves the needs of UPS, FedEx, Airborne and other companies that operate jet freight service out of Roanoke. The ramp includes 5 parking positions capable of accommodating concurrently 1 Airbus A300, 2 Boeing 757s, 1 727 and 1 McDonnell Douglas DC-9.

AIR FREIGHT

EXPRESS MAIL

FedEx

FedEx offers jet and ground service from its Roanoke operation. Customer options include 8 a.m. delivery, 10:30 a.m. delivery, 3:30 p.m. delivery and same-day delivery.

U.S. Postal Service

• The Roanoke facility serves as a management center for sectional centers 240-245 extending east to Lynchburg and south to Bristol. The main processing center is 140,000 sq. ft.
• The Roanoke center processes approximately 1.5 million pieces of mail a day and services such large mailers as Orvis and Home Shopping Network.
• There is direct access to the Greensboro Bulk Mail Center, ranked one of the leading service performers in the U.S. postal system. Roanoke also offers daily direct service transportation to airports or processing centers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Northern Virginia and Baltimore.

UPS

UPS consolidated several Virginia operations in its 191,000 sq. ft. Roanoke hub. Overnight ground transportation is available from Roanoke UPS to Maryland, Washington, DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. More than 50% of the US population is within UPS' two-day shipping distance.

UPS offers one of the latest aircraft departures on its system. Two inbound and two outbound 757s serve Roanoke daily.

(Source: Roanoke Valley of Virginia Economic Development Partnership)