Big Walker Mountain Tunnel

If you have ever traveled I-77 through Virginia and West Virginia, you probably remember driving through Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and its twin East River Mountain Tunnel (located just a few miles up the interstate on the Virginia / West Virginia border).

If you're traveling north on I-77, you'll enter the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel first. Most people who have never driven through a long tunnel are a bit apprehensive as they approach Big Walker for the first time. There you are, just driving up the interstate when all of a sudden you round a curve and there is this huge mountain right in front of you - and it looks like you'll run into the side of it if you don't stop! But as you get closer, you can see the tunnels where the road goes into the mountainside. It's really quite an experience!

Traveling from Virginia to West Virginia through Bland County, Va used to be quite difficult in spite of the fact that they share a border. Since they sit squarely on Bland County's southern and northern borders, Big Walker and East River mountain more or less isolated Bland County from much of Virginia and West Virginia. Back then, crossing Big Walker Mountain meant driving on US Highway 52, a narrow, curvy two lane road traversing plenty of steep cliffs to imagine plunging off of - a trip that wasn't for the faint of heart!

In the late 1960's a solution to the problem of traveling into and through Bland County was developed: I-77 was to be an interstate highway that actually went through the mountains instead of over them! This meant that two massive tunnels would have to be constructed - one through each mountain.

The construction of the 4,200 foot long Big Walker Mountain Tunnel was a massive project indeed. Four tunnel shafts were cut simultaneously through the mountain, two from each end that hopefully would meet their counterparts in the middle. A perfect survey job resulted in the tunnels meeting precisely as planned. From the much reported groundbreaking till its opening in 1972, it took five long years and an investment of $50 million to build the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel.

Construction of the 5,400 foot long East River Mountain Tunnel was completed in 1974 at a cost of $40 million, finally making for easy travel between the two Virginias as well as into and through the previously isolated Bland County.

Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo

Interesting Articles