Ceremonial ribbon-cutting held for a significant portion of Corridor Q in Buchanan County

BRISTOL — A host of state and local officials visited Buchanan County today to mark a major milestone in the effort to build a new transportation corridor in the Appalachian region.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and its partner Bizzack Construction, LLC, Lexington, Ky., held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting today to celebrate the mid-November opening of over 8 miles of Corridor Q construction between the Breaks area and the Southern Gap redevelopment site in Grundy.

Once the sign installation work wraps up in the coming days, Corridor Q will open between Route 693 (Breaks Park Road) and Route 744 at Southern Gap.

“With the opening of 8 miles of Corridor Q this month and construction underway for the last five miles, we see completion on the horizon,” VDOT Bristol District Engineer Tabitha Crowder, P.E., said.

Today’s announcement marks the completion of eight of the remaining 13 miles of new Corridor Q construction in Virginia.

When the remaining 5 miles of federally designated Corridor Q near Grundy in Buchanan County are finished, Corridor Q in Virginia will be completed and will provide a modern highway between the Kentucky state line and Christiansburg.

The two portions of Corridor Q under construction include the 2.74-mile Poplar Creek Phase A portion scheduled to open in late 2025 and the 2.07-mile Poplar Creek Phase B portion scheduled to open in late 2027.

When completed Phase B will include the second tallest bridge in Virginia, with the tallest bridge also being along Corridor Q near the Virginia/Kentucky state line and Breaks Interstate Park. The tallest bridge in Virginia opened to traffic in November 2020.

Poplar Creek Phase A includes the construction of a culvert beneath the roadway, one of the deepest fill for a precast box culvert in the nation at 310 feet of maximum cover at its midsection.

Bizzack has been VDOT’s partner for the final 14 miles of Corridor Q construction in Virginia.

“We value Bizzack Construction’s dedication to these projects along Corridor Q and have appreciated their partnership,” Marty Halloway, VDOT Bristol Mega Projects engineer, said. “We are honored to continue working with Bizzack toward the completion of Corridor Q in Virginia.”

Corridor Q, designated as U.S. Route 460, is part of the National Highway System and also part of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS). ADHS is the centerpiece of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s effort to foster economic and social development in the multi-state Appalachian region.

The Virginia portion of Corridor Q in Buchanan County shares a portion of its alignment with proposed Route 121 (Coalfields Expressway). Corridor Q extends 127.5 miles eastward from the Virginia/Kentucky state line near Breaks to Interstate 81 near Christiansburg.

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