A contract to stabilize a rockslide-prone section of mountain high above US 340 near Harpers Ferry is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept.12, 2023.In May 2023, Triton Construction Inc. was awarded a contract for $10,277,500 to remove rock andone-mile rockfall barriers on a one mile section of US 340 where it hugs the Shenandoah River just south of Harpers Ferry. The project will require closing US 340 completely for 90 days until the project is complete.
The public can access project information and get answers to frequently asked questions at the project website, us340harpersferry.com. The following questions related to the project are fully answered on the site:
- Why this time of year? WVDOH spoke with a group of local elected officials, who worked with business bureaus and others to determine which 90-day time frame would have the least impact locally.
- Why is this project necessary? Safety is at the core of this project. This section of US 340 between the Shenandoah River Bridge and the Virginia state line has a history of rock falls. Our goal with this project is to remove the loose rocks; do everything we can to scale off anything that may fall uncontrolled, and control those falls.
- Why must the road be completely closed? The inherent nature of the work would make it unsafe for the traveling public to be part of the work zone, in any manner.
- What is the detour route? The detour uses WV 9, Virginia Route 9 and Virginia 671 to return to US 340 on the Virginia side. We have done upgrades at the signalized intersection in Virginia.
The road is scheduled to be closed for 90 days, although the project will take longer than that. Access to the Appalachian Trail over the US 340 bridge across the Shenandoah River will remain open through the construction period, but may be interrupted for brief periods of time to allow helicopters to access the work site.
US 340 is a high-traffic volume corridor carrying about 24,500 vehicles a day including local, commuter, and truck traffic from West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland.
us340harpersferry.com also features other project details and information.