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Interstate 77 in Virginia

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This article is about the section of Interstate 77 in Virginia. For the entire route, see Interstate 77.

Interstate 77 marker

Interstate 77

Map
I-77 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by VDOT
Length66.27 mi[1][2][3] (106.65 km)
Existed1972–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-74 / I-77 near Mount Airy, NC
Major intersections US 58 / US 221 near Hillsville
I-81 / US 11 near Wytheville
US 52 various times between Wytheville and Rocky Gap
North end I-77 / US 52 near Bluefield, WV
Location
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountiesCarroll, Wythe, Bland
Highway system
← SR 76→ SR 78

Interstate 77 (I-77) in the U.S. state of Virginia is a 67-mile (108 km) north–south Interstate Highway serving Hillsville, Wytheville, and Bland. Running parallel to U.S. Route 52 (US 52), I-77 passes through the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel, the latter on the West Virginia state line and one of only two land vehicular tunnels to cross a state line.[4]

Route description

View south along I-77 just south of the East River Mountain Tunnel in Bland County

Within Virginia, the milepost count begins from the south at the North Carolina border and ends at the West Virginia border.

For eight miles (13 km) in the Wytheville area, I-77 and I-81 share the same roadway and form a wrong-way concurrency. I-77 north is signed with I-81 south and vice versa.

The southernmost seven miles (11 km) involve a steep grade, up for northbound and down for southbound traffic. The southbound side has two runaway truck ramps. The lower end of the grade coincides with the North Carolina border, where the road exits the Appalachian Mountain region and levels out.

The entire length of I-77 in Virginia is also part of the proposed I-74.

I-77 crosses the following mountains:

History

I-77 was first opened in 1972 between I-81 in Wytheville and US 52 in Bland, which also included the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel. The Interstate was extended from Bland to the West Virginia border in 1974-1975; this extension included the East River Mountain Tunnel. In July 1977, I-77 was built between the North Carolina border and Fancy Gap, and in December, it was extended from Fancy Gap to Poplar Camp. In 1978, I-77 was built between Poplar Camp and I-81. The Interstate existed in two separate segments until 1987, when the I-81/I-77 overlap between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell was built.[citation needed]

I-77 in Fancy Gap has been the site of many fatal accidents, often due to fog and wind in the mountains. In November 2010, two people died as a result of a 75-vehicle pileup.[5] On March 31, 2013, 17 crashes along I-77 led to a 95-vehicle pileup and resulted in three deaths.[6][7] In September 2013, a pile-up resulted in one death.[8]

Exit list

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Carroll​0.000.00

 I-77 south / I-74 east – Charlotte		North Carolina state line
​0.941.511 SR 620
​8.5713.798 SR 148 / SR 775 – Fancy Gap
​14.8523.9014 US 58 / US 221 – Hillsville, Galax
​19.0330.6319 SR 620
Poplar Camp24.0638.7224 SR 69 – Poplar Camp
Wythe​32.1451.7232

 I-81 north / US 11 north – Roanoke		South end of I-81 / US 11 overlap; I-77 south follows exit 81
Interstate 77 overlaps with I-81. (exit 73 to 80)
Wytheville39.1863.0540



 I-81 south / US 52 north to US 21 south – Bristol		North end of I-81 / US 52 overlap; I-77 north follows exit 72
40.2864.8241 SR 610 (Peppers Ferry Road) – Wytheville, Max Meadows
Bland​45.7773.6647 SR 717
Wythe
 No major junctions
Big Walker Mountain48.8178.55Big Walker Mountain Tunnel
BlandBland51.2282.4352 US 52 / SR 42 – Bland
​57.3392.2658 US 52 (via SR 666) – Bastian
South Gap61.2798.6062 SR 606 – South Gap
Rocky Gap63.24101.7764 US 52 / SR 61 – Rocky Gap
​65.57105.5266
 US 52 south / SR 598		South end of US 52 overlap
​66.27106.65

 I-77 north / US 52 north – Bluefield, Charleston		West Virginia state line (East River Mountain Tunnel through East River Mountain)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Carroll County" (PDF).
  2. ^ "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Wythe County" (PDF).
  3. ^ "2005 Virginia Department of Transportation Jurisdiction Report - Daily Traffic Volume Estimates - Bland County" (PDF).
  4. ^ Beth (June 30, 2016). "Most People Have No Idea This Unique Tunnel In Virginia Exists". OnlyInYourState. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Police, Staff Reports, Virginia State. "Dense fog causes 75-vehicle pile up and closes southbound I-77". HeraldCourier.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "3 killed in 95-vehicle pileup at Virginia-N.C. line". USA Today. March 31, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Purdy, Chase. "3 killed in I-77 pileup". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved September 20, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "UPDATE: Pile-Up in Dense Fog on I-77 Kills One, Injures Two". WSET. September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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Interstate 74
Previous state:
West Virginia 		Virginia Next state:
North Carolina
Interstate 77
Previous state:
North Carolina 		Virginia Next state:
West Virginia
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