OK Heidi and I went up to the site today and here's what we found:
Route 81 goes down to one lane from mile 194 to 198 (around the Waverly exit) and then again from mile 210 to 212 (around the Lenox exit). So compared to last year, it's not as bad. Still bad, but not as bad.
Last year, I took back roads to get there because it was so bad. This time, I've been driving straight up.
On the other hand, I haven't tried this at rush hour on a Friday.