 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 / 37.03861; -81.13083 |
| Route |  I-77 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Toll | None |
| Technical | |
| Length | 4,229 ft (1,289 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 and under Big Walker Mountain. It is located a few miles south of the town of Bland in Bland County 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 (1,289 m) tunnel was first opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. It carried a price tag of $50 million (equivalent to $276 million in 2023), which at the time was the most expensive single project undertaken on Virginia's Interstate system. The opening of the tunnel reduced the travel time from Wytheville to Bland County by 30 minutes.
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 (30 m) observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain about five miles (8.0 km) west of the tunnel.
References
- Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- Longfellow, Rickie (June 27, 2017). "Back in Time: The Big Walker and East River Mountain Tunnels". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- Virginia Department of Transportation (2006). "VDOT: 50 Years of the Interstate". Virginia Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 13, 2007.
External links
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- Buildings and structures in Bland County, Virginia
- Road tunnels in Virginia
- Interstate 77
- Buildings and structures in Wythe County, Virginia
- Transportation in Wythe County, Virginia
- Transportation in Bland County, Virginia
- Tunnels completed in 1972
- Virginia building and structure stubs
- Virginia transportation stubs
- American tunnel stubs