Hurricane Helene severely damaged a major road in southwest Virginia, U.S. Route 58 between Damascus and Konnarock. That road remains closed, but there is a timeline for its reopening.
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it's awarded a contract to rebuild a mile and a half section of Route 58 in Washington County, and VDOT officials say they estimate the project will take approximately one year to complete.
Funding for the Route 58 rebuild is provided by the Federal Highway Administration, which awarded Virginia $10 million in emergency relief funding for roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Helene.
VDOT is awarding the contract to W-H Construction & Paving, Inc., of Chilhowie. Construction work will begin in the coming days, removing the remaining portions of asphalt and any debris as they rebuild sections of the road.
Route 58 will remain closed during construction and drivers should continue to avoid the area.
Another road out of Damascus, Route 91, has recently been reopened. That road is managed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Damage to agriculture nears $160 million
The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused nearly $160 million in agricultural damage in Virginia.
That’s according to a final assessment by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. The figure is higher than the initial estimate that was somewhere in the $125 million range.
Nearly 40% of the state’s total ag losses from the storm occurred in Grayson County.
The assessment will be used by federal and state agencies to best determine how assistance and recovery resources should be allocated.