CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A project to stabilize a rockslide-prone section of mountain high above US 340 near Harper’s Ferry is among 34 projects in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.
The project will require closing US 340 from September through December to remove rock and install rockfall barriers above US 340 where it hugs the Shenandoah River just south of Harper’s Ferry. 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.
The work is aimed at stabilizing the corridor through “rock slope scaling, localized rock bolting, and removal of potential large scale rockfall hazards. Additionally, the slope will have rockfall mitigation efforts including draped and pinned mesh, ground-level rockfall barriers, and on-slope rockfall attenuator systems,” according to a DOH press release.
A posted detour around the project area during work will be WV 9 and Virginia SR 9 and Virginia SR 671. Work is being scheduled after Memorial Day and before Christmas to lessen the impact on the traveling public.
US 340 along the Shenandoah River was built in the mid-1950s. The cut slopes and exposed rock tower from 150 to more than 300 feet above the roadway. WVDOH will remove rock and install barriers to minimize potential hazards to the traveling public.