"I-81.org is the single best source of accurate information," says Fred Altizer, VDOT's I-81 program manager. Maybe.

This site is an attempt by VDOT to tell the public what's going on. But VDOT can only go so far in being transparent.

The reason: They're trying to do something that's never been done in this part of Virginia. VDOT is negotiating with a builders' consortium that can shape the next I-81. But state law shields those negotiations from public view.

What can happen behind those closed doors became apparent a couple of weeks ago in Northern Virginia.

A private builder, Fluor Corp., agreed with VDOT to build four new toll lanes on the Capital Beltway for $900 million - a bargain compared to the $2.4 billion the new lanes would cost if built by VDOT.

That kind of saving is the benefit touted by advocates of Virginia's Public Private Transportation Act, which lets private companies build roads - usually toll roads - at their own risk for a profit.

It begs the question, though: How could Fluor build four lanes in highly congested Northern Virginia for just 37 percent of VDOT's cost?

Easy. They cut down the size of the lanes and shoulders. They'll use the current exits and on-ramps. Fluor does not plan to engineer the road to every Federal Highway Administration standard, which VDOT has to meet when it builds roads.

Fluor's concept for the Capital Beltway won't require nearly as much new right of way as VDOT's plan required, and will take only a few houses. Big savings in time, money and lawyer fees result from those economies.

And that begs another question: With VDOT negotiating with Star Solutions in private, what sort of savings can they generate for I-81?

Just for background, in case some readers are new to Roanoke:

Some of the nation's biggest road-building companies teamed up in 2002, forming a consortium called Star Solutions, to propose widening I-81 to eight lanes, with four of them separated for truck-only use. Star Solutions said most of the construction cost could be raised by tolling trucks.

Truckers, naturally, didn't think tolls were a good idea.

Everyone else thought, "Wow, I can drive on I-81 without trucks in my lane."

As the proposal got more scrutiny, people kept noticing new details. Some trucks still would have to use the car lanes to enter and exit the highway. In some places, including Roanoke and Harrisonburg, Star's proposal could make I-81 as wide as 10 to 12 lanes.

Many truckers threatened to use other local highways such as U.S. 11 to avoid the tolls - and they were serious about that. Star argued that trucks would stay on the interstate because local roads would be too slow.

And then there was the matter of cost. The numbers kept spinning upward, until finally Star Solutions said in a document it submitted to VDOT that the cost could top $13 billion by the time all the interest is calculated and the no-stop electronic toll counters are installed and maintained for 20 years.

VDOT's I-81 Web site says at the top, "No plans or proposals can be implemented without the approval and concurrence of the Federal Highway Administration. Because the interstate system is federally funded, any proposed changes to the highway must comply with all federal laws."

But if the Northern Virginia toll lanes are an indication, the public-private negotiating process provides a route around federal highway standards for such safety comforts as wide shoulders and new ramps with better alignments.

That leaves a question the Web site doesn't - can't - answer: What are they negotiating for I-81?

Got a question or comment about the streets and roads of the Roanoke area? Give us a call at 981-3351 or ray.reed@roanoke.com. Maybe we can find an answer. Please include your name and phone number.