Mid-day on Sunday (May 2nd, 2021), I crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains along U.S. Route 250. As I traveled up the mountain, just to the west of the Albemarle-Nelson county line, I noticed a modest pile of rock debris and tilted trees on the uphill side of the highway. A small mass wasting event had recently occurred this was no surprise as the southeastern slope of the Blue Ridge near Rockfish Gap is prone to mass movement because of its geology.
VDOT warning trucks to stay off Route 6 during U.S. 250 closure
VDOT warning trucks to stay off Route 6 during U.S. 250 closure By Andrew Webb | May 9, 2021 at 11:28 PM EDT - Updated May 10 at 10:45 AM
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - While a portion of U.S. 250 remains closed due to the rockslide, Virginia Department of Transportation is asking for people to follow all detours and use precaution on Route 6.
VDOT says trucks are not allowed on Route 6 and that local and state police are ticketing trucks that continue to use the route.
Lou Hatter with VDOT says they know it may add some time to the trip, but its the safest way to do it.
BRYAN MCKENZIE
The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress
It started with a few rocks dribbling onto the pavement from above and ended with tons of soil, rock and debris shutting the road down.
Rockfish Gap Turnpike, also known as U.S. 250, was shut down Monday as chunks of greenstone bedrock broke free and slid down the steep mountain side sandwiched between Interstate 64 and the turnpike.
Crews on the scene have been working all week to remove the original slide material and pulling down more rock, soil and vegetation to try to prevent a second slide.
The slide occurred near Route 750, known as Old Turnpike Road, just west of the Rockfish Gap Country Store. Thatâs about 600 feet downhill from the intersection of Route 6 and U.S. 250.
/Virginia State Police
CULPEPER U.S. 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) remains closed between the top of Afton Mountain and Route 151 (Critzer Shop Road) due to a rock slide that partially blocked the road Monday afternoon. On Monday evening rocks and trees continued to slide down the slope to the roadway.
Geologists and engineers with the Virginia Department of Transportation met on-site Tuesday morning to assess the extent of the slide and how to remove the material from the road. The slope must also be stabilized before the road can be reopened to traffic.
At this time it is not known how long U.S. 250 will be closed, but motorists should anticipate using Interstate 64 as the only route over Afton Mountain at least through May 11, according to the department’s Lou Hatter. More information about the duration of the closure will be provided once an assessment of the situation is completed.
Photo: clipart.com
CULPEPER (WINA) – Wednesday, April 28 is “Go Orange Day” as VDOT urges you to wear orange to support National Work Zone Awareness Week… which it is through Friday… in solidarity with highway workers. VDOT’s Lou Hatter says work zones increase in the spring, to do some of the work that cannot be properly done in the winter. The work includes temporary zones such as pothole repair to go with longer-term zones. Hatter says a lot of work over the past year has gone into repairing pipes underneath roads as frequent heavy rains have compromised some of them.