East River Mountain Tunnel

East River Mountain Tunnel
Overview
Entrance to the East River Mountain Tunnel, Virginia side
Location	Bland County, Virginia Mercer County, West Virginia
Coordinates	37°16′30″N 81°07′26″W / 37.27500°N 81.12389°W / 37.27500; -81.12389
Route	I-77 / US 52
Operation
Opened	December 20, 1974; 49 years ago (1974-12-20)
Technical
Length	5,412 ft (1,649.58 m)
No. of lanes	4

The East River Mountain Tunnel is a 5,412-foot (1,650 m) vehicular tunnel that carries Interstate 77 (I-77) and U.S. Route 52 (US 52) through East River Mountain between Bluefield, West Virginia, and Rocky Gap, Virginia.

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History

Construction began on August 12, 1969, and it opened on December 20, 1974. At a cost of $40 million (equivalent to $192 million in 2023^[1]), it was the most expensive construction project undertaken by the West Virginia Division of Highways at the time. The northern 51% of the tunnel is in West Virginia and the southern 49% in Virginia; Virginia shared the cost of the project.^[2]

Before 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.

Location

The tunnel is located about 20 miles (32 km) north of its shorter cousin, the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel. The East River Mountain Tunnel is one of two land vehicular tunnels in the United States that cross a state line, the other being the Cumberland Gap Tunnel.^[2]

The top of East River Mountain can be seen in the distance from Big Walker Lookout, a 100-foot (30 m) observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain.