In his 35 years with the Virginia Department of Transportation, Dennis Sanders has seen a lot of road damage, some of it comparable to what he witnessed on a section of U.S. 58 after Hurricane Helene blew through Damascus on Sept. 27.
But the assistant environmental manager for the Bristol District has never seen damage over such a long stretch of roadway like that wrought by the hurricane over 1.5 miles of the two-lane road off Virginia 91 in Washington County.
“I’ve seen roads washed out that bad but on a smaller scale, like 300 or 400 feet — not continuously for more than a whole mile,” he said while giving Cardinal News a tour of the destruction on U.S. 58.
Preceded by days of heavy, steady rain, the storm dumped an additional 4-6 inches on the small town that Friday, according to the National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee.
In far Southwest Virginia, Damascus and the communities surrounding it sustained some of the heaviest damage from the storm.
That rain, coupled with high winds, sent two creeks over their banks, destroyed several bridges in the area and knocked some houses off their foundations. The flooding decimated a mobile home park, wiped out power and water, and ripped up that section of 58. 
The road has been closed to traffic since the storm hit. Shortly after you turn onto the road, there is a barrier that keeps vehicles from going farther.
That part of the roadway is visibly damaged, and on a Thursday two weeks after the storm, debris still lies along the sides of the road. On the right side, Whitetop-Laurel Creek has swallowed portions of the path that was the Virginia Creeper Trail.
Farther up, the road curves left and one lane turns to dirt while the other still has pavement intact. Eventually, the right lane disappears and drops off sharply on that side.
On the crest of that hill is the worst of the damage. The road is decimated, and it looks like a bomb exploded. The creek has filled in the empty space created, big rocks, chunks of pavement and gravel are visible, and water lines are exposed. 
“The shocking thing about the damage — you’ve got to think about where we’re at. We are in a gorge up here. Basically, you’ve got a rock cliff on both sides. So, it’s a pretty confined spot,” Sanders said.
On the other side of the giant gulch created by the flooding, the road picks back up. Though the damage is still evident, it doesn’t appear to be as severe. Past the point where the road is severed, the damage continues for about three-quarters of a mile and eventually, only the middle of the road is there.
“So, the creek washed out part of the road and then jumped across and took out the ditch line and took half the road out, so there’s a center line, but nothing on either side of it,” he said.
The road then begins to climb the mountain and is no longer parallel to the creek, so there’s no damage in that area. 
The condition of the road makes cleanup and rebuilding more challenging
The stretch of U.S. 58 between Damascus and the community of Konnarock is traveled by about 400 vehicles per day, according to Sanders.
Washington County Administrator Jason Berry said that section of 58 is important for the county, not just for Damascus but because it has become a “commercial and medical corridor” for people who live in Mountain City, Tennessee, and Boone, North Carolina. Some drive over to Abingdon to visit Johnston Memorial Hospital or to shop because they can save on the sales tax, which is half the amount charged in Tennessee, he said.
VDOT has signed a contract for cleanup and rebuilding 58 with W-L Construction & Paving in Chilhowie. Asked the dollar amount of the contract, Michelle Earl, communications manager for VDOT’s Bristol District, said it is an “emergency force account, and it’s paid based on the work performed (the time and material, not a typical lump sum contract). This type of contract expedites repairs and work, following emergency guidelines.”
The cleanup and construction will be done together, with crews removing the remaining portions of asphalt and any debris as they rebuild sections of the road. Some of the rocks and natural material may be used to fill in some of the roadway.
The project is set to start in November and is expected to take a year to complete, according to Earl.
The poor condition of the road will make the project more challenging, according to Sanders. Dump trucks will be needed to bring in massive amounts of rock, and until portions of the road are built, trucks can’t pass each other. Instead, they have to wait for the other to leave, which slows down the process. A staging area for the trucks is being built.
Currently, VDOT officials are working with a host of agencies, including the state departments of environmental quality and wildlife resources, the U.S. Forest Service and the county to get the necessary approvals and permits, like water quality permits. They are also lining up the equipment and rock that will be needed.
“Multiple staff at VDOT, from our roadway designers to our environmental team and construction team, are coordinating efforts to ensure we move with purpose and efficiency to rebuild Route 58 in Washington County,” said VDOT Bristol District Engineer Tabitha Crowder. “This is a monumental task our VDOT staff and contracting partners will take on; however, everyone is dedicated to restoring the road and bringing people back to this pristine area.”
The road will soon become a busy — and dangerous — work zone, with heavy equipment going in and out. VDOT officials are warning residents to stay away, especially those traveling beyond the road closed signs on ATVs, bicycles or on foot. 
Other road and bridge damage
The U.S. 58 project is the largest road project resulting from the hurricane damage in Southwest Virginia, but cleanup and repairs were made on hundreds of roads in the region, and most have since reopened.
Emergency assessments have been done on approximately 700 bridges in the flood-impacted areas, and about 50 will need repair or replacement.
Right after the storm, VDOT crews put in a temporary bridge in the Taylors Valley community, where people had no way in or out. That was done in just a couple of days.
A bridge on Orchard Hill Road in Damascus was moved and destroyed by the flooding. Because there are quick and easy detours for people who normally use it, that bridge will be repaired later, Sanders said.
