Big Walker Mountain Tunnel

Big Walker Mountain Tunnel
	Detailed shot of northbound entrance
Overview
Official name	Big Walker Mountain Tunnel
Location	Bland County, Virginia, USA
Coordinates	37°2′19″N 81°7′51″W / 37.03861°N 81.13083°W
Route	I-77
Operation
Opened	1972
Toll	None
Technical
Length	4,229 ft (1,289.00 m)
No. of lanes	4

The Big Walker Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia that carries Interstate 77 through/under Big Walker Mountain. It is located a few miles south of the town of Bland and a segment of the Appalachian Trail, and about 20 miles (32 km) south of its longer cousin, the East River Mountain Tunnel.

History

The 4,229-foot (1,288 m) tunnel was first opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. It carried a price tag of $50 million, which at the time was the most expensive single project undertaken on Virginia's interstate system.[1] The opening of the tunnel reduced the travel time from Wytheville to Bland County by 30 minutes.[2]

Preliminary engineering studies for the project were made by Brokenborough & Watkins, consulting engineers of Richmond, Virginia, and the final design of the roadway and tunnel was by Singstad & Kehart, consulting engineers of New York City.

The north tunnel approach and surrounding area can be viewed from the Big Walker Lookout, a 100-foot observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain about five miles east of the tunnel.

References

External links

Info about I-77

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