The Big Walker Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia that carries Interstate 77 through and under Big Walker Mountain. It is located a few miles south of the town of Bland in Bland County and a segment of the Appalachian Trail, and about south of its longer cousin, the East River Mountain Tunnel. History The tunnel was first opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. It carried a price tag of $50 million (equivalent to $ in ), which at the time was the most expensive single project undertaken on Virginia's Interstate system. The opening of the tunnel reduced the travel time from Wytheville to Bland County by 30 minutes. Preliminary engineering studies for the project were made by Brokenborough & Watkins, consulting engineers of Richmond, Virginia, and the final design of the roadway and tunnel was by Singstad & Kehart, consulting engineers of New York City. The north tunnel approach and surrounding area can be viewed from the Big Walker Lookout, a observation tower built on Big Walker Mountain about west of the tunnel. References Virginia asked to ease load restrictions in I-77 tunnels VDOT Bristol District Information External links Information about I-77 Buildings and structures in Bland County, Virginia Road tunnels in Virginia Interstate 77 Buildings and structures in Wythe County, Virginia Transportation in Wythe County, Virginia Transportation in Bland County, Virginia Tunnels completed in 1972