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.
Traffic Alert: portions of Route 250 still closed due to rockslide A good stretch of Rt. 250 is blocked off due to a rockslide. By NBC29 Newsroom | May 10, 2021 at 4:43 PM EDT - Updated May 10 at 4:43 PM
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Parts of Route 250 on Afton Mountain are still closed due to a rockslide last week.
Route 250 is closed from the Route 151 intersection to the top of Afton Mountain. It is also closed between Route 6 and Route 750, just west of the Rockfish Gap Country Store.
The rockslide happened last Monday, May 3. Rockslide along Route 250 on Afton Mt. in Albemarle County. (Source: WVIR)
The Virginia Department of Transportation still does not know when the road will reopen. Crews need to remove unstable soil and rocks from the hillside as well as stabilize the slope above the road. That work is expected to start sometime this week.
Inside what caused the Afton Mountain rock slide
Published Tuesday, May. 11, 2021, 1:08 pm
Join AFP s 100,000+ followers on Facebook
Purchase a subscription to AFP
Subscribe to AFP podcasts on iTunes and Spotify
News, press releases, letters to the editor: augustafreepress2@gmail.com
College of William & Mary structural geology professor Christopher “Chuck” Bailey joins the show to discuss the factors that caused the Afton Mountain rock slide.
More on the rock slide
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.
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.
Photo: WINA
May 5, 2021, VDOT News Release
CULPEPER U.S. 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) will be closed for an extended period between Route 6 (Afton Mountain Road) east of the summit of Afton Mountain and Route 750 (Old Turnpike Road) just west of the Rockfish Gap Country Store. On Wednesday rocks, soil and debris continue to slide down the steep slope to the ditch line and into the roadway. The slide began at midday Monday and required closing U.S. 250 to traffic.
Geologists and engineers with the Virginia Department of Transportation are continuing their assessment of the site and the extent of the slide area. Then they can determine how to safely remove debris from the road as well as unstable material still on the slope above the road. The slope must also be stabilized before the road can be reopened to traffic.