East River Mountain Tunnel

The East River Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel that carries Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 52 through East River Mountain between Bluefield, West Virginia, and Rocky Gap, Virginia.

History

Construction began on August 12, 1969, and it opened on December 20, 1974. At a cost of $40 million, 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.
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. When fog or snow was present, the journey became arduous, and the road was occasionally closed completely due to treacherous conditions.

The tunnel is located about 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.
The top of East River Mountain can be seen in the distance from Big Walker Lookout, a observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain.