U.S. 58 repairs near Damascus to finish ahead of schedule

The road repairs on U.S. 58 can’t be completed soon enough for Teresa Dell, whose gas station and country store have seen a big drop in business since Hurricane Helene destroyed 1 1/2 miles of the curvy mountain highway in Washington County last September.

“We’re at the end of a road not going anywhere,” says Dell, whose Konnarock Store & Gas usually serves visitors to the Virginia Creeper Trail and other outdoorsy places in the vicinity of Damascus, a small town that has become a recreation destination for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, bicyclists and campers.

As of late April, U.S. 58 repairs — estimated to cost approximately $7 million — were set to be completed in May, about five months ahead of schedule, according to Michelle Earl, communications manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Bristol District.

The road’s reopening will come as a relief to commuters whose usual 10-to-15-mile trips from the eastern part of the county toward Damascus have become 30-mile detours along winding country roads.

More damaging to the Damascus economy than U.S. 58’s closure has been the devastation along the Virginia Creeper Trail, says town manager Chris Bell.

More than 200,000 people annually use the trail and visit Damascus, which has experienced an outdoors tourism boom in recent decades. Restaurants, a brewery, bike shops and more than 80 bed-and-breakfasts have sprouted in recent years to serve visitors.

The Damascus-to-Whitetop Station trail section, an easy 17-mile downhill ride popular with families, suffered heavy damage during Helene’s wrath, including the destruction of 18 bridges. The trail is still open west of Damascus to Abingdon, Bell says, but visitation, especially overnight lodging, hasn’t bounced back yet.

Lisa Quigley, the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy’s executive director, says 58’s reopening will ease access for crews working on remote parts of the trail.

“All the repairs have been dependent on getting 58 up and running,” she says.

The Creeper Trail contributes nearly $13 million in annual visitor spending along its route, with Damascus earning $6 million in meals and lodging taxes from visitors, according to a Virginia Tech report. “Without trail tourism revenue,” the report’s authors wrote, “the town could see millions of lost tax dollars.”

The sooner the trail is reopened the better, says Dell, whose Konnarock Store relies on tourists. “There’s not enough local traffic to keep the country stores going,” she says.