The East River Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

that carries

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

(I-77) and

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

(US 52) through East River Mountain between the communities of

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. Geography Bluefie ...

, and

Rocky Gap, Virginia Rocky Gap is an unincorporated community that is located in Bland County in the U.S. state of Virginia. In the year of 2016, there was an estimate that there were a total of 511 people living in Rocky Gap.2 Rocky Gap has one zip code (24366). T ...

History

Groundbreaking began on the tunnel on August 12, 1969, and after five years of labor it was opened to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 20, 1974. At a cost of $40 million (equivalent to $ in ), it was the most expensive construction project undertaken by the

West Virginia Division of Highways The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) is the state agency responsible for transportation in West Virginia. The Department of Transportation serves an umbrella organization for seven subsidiary agencies which are directly responsi ...

at the time. Because the northern end of the tunnel is in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and the southern end is in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, Virginia shared the cost of the project. The state line falls almost exactly across the midpoint of the tunnel; 51% of the tunnel is in West Virginia, and the remaining 49% is on the Virginia side. Prior to the opening of the East River Mountain Tunnel, travelers wishing to cross the state line had to navigate the narrow, twisting, guardrail-less route of US 52 up and over the mountain (now designated as SR 598 and WV 598). When fog or snow was present, the journey became arduous, and the road was occasionally closed completely (particularly in the winter months) due to treacherous conditions. Inside the East River Mountain Tunnel

Location

The tunnel is located about north of its shorter cousin, the

Big Walker Mountain Tunnel 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 ...

. The East River Mountain Tunnel is also one of only two land vehicular tunnels in the United States that cross a state line, the other being the

Cumberland Gap Tunnel The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a dual-bore, four lane vehicular tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The tunnel consists of two separate bor ...

. The top of East River Mountain can be seen in the distance from

Big Walker Lookout Big Walker Lookout is a observation tower located in the Blue Ridge Highlands Region atop Big Walker Mountain in Bland County, Virginia. Location The tower is accessed from the Big Walker General Store, just off US Route 52 about from Wy ...

, a observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain. East River Mountain Tunnel Entrance IMG 2379

References

External links

The Big Walker and East River Mountain Tunnels - Back in Time - Highway History - FHWAVirginia asked to ease load restrictions in I-77 tunnelsVDOT Bristol District Info

External links

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Bland County, Virginia Buildings and structures in Mercer County, West Virginia Road tunnels in West Virginia Road tunnels in Virginia Interstate 77 U.S. Route 52 Transportation in Bland County, Virginia Transportation in Mercer County, West Virginia Tunnels completed in 1974