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 south of its longer cousin, the East River Mountain Tunnel.
History
thumb|right|Northbound at Big Walker Mountain Tunnel
right|thumb|Southbound
The tunnel was first opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. It carried a price tag of $50 million (equivalent to $ in ), 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 observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain about west of the tunnel.
References
- Virginia asked to ease load restrictions in I-77 tunnels
- VDOT Bristol District Information
External links
- Information about I-77