Six months after heavy rain and wind from the remnants of Hurricane Helene ripped up about 1.5 miles of U.S. 58 outside the town of Damascus, the repairs are about 80% done and are expected to be completed in May — about six months ahead of schedule, a Virginia Department of Transportation official said Friday.
Dennis Sanders, assistant environmental manager for VDOT’s Bristol District, was giving a tour of that section of the two-lane to U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who called the work “impressive” and the progress “unheard of.” Originally, the 58 repairs were expected to take a year.
Sanders and Kaine emphasized that completion of the roadwork is key to moving forward with other repairs that are needed, particularly to the second half of the Virginia Creeper Trail. The trail runs along that section of 58, which is needed to access some of the more remote sections of the recreation trail.
It was the first time back to Damascus for the senator since he toured it in the aftermath of the storm, which hit Sept. 27, following days of steady rain. Two creeks spilled over their banks and rushed through the Washington County town, damaging homes and businesses. The flooding destroyed bridges and wiped out a trailer park, and a number of people had to be rescued by swift-water teams.
The 34-mile Creeper Trail starts in Abingdon and ends at Whitetop Station, near the North Carolina line. Much of the second half of the trail, from Damascus to Whitetop, was destroyed, including 18 of its trestles. The first half of the trail, from Abingdon to Damascus, sustained only minor damage and reopened a few days after the storm.
The trail draws 250,000 visitors each year and is the economic lifeblood of the town, said Mayor Katie Lamb.
Kaine, who hiked up about a quarter-mile of the damaged highway on Friday, said seeing the progress made on the road and in the town was “emotional” for him.
“I’ve had some of the best memories of my life here,” he said. “I’ve hiked the whole Virginia portion of the AT [Appalachian Trail], been to Trail Days. I’ve done the Creeper Trail with my kids many times.”
His visit drew a host of officials with the U.S. Forest Service, which will handle the trail repairs and maintain the Creeper Trail. State officials and town and county leaders also attended. Many of them talked about the cooperation among agencies and local governments, which Sanders credited for the rapid repair of 58.
The road, which has been closed since the storm, connects Damascus to the community of Konnarock. It is traveled by about 400 motorists per day who have had to take detours since September.
Kaine said he returned because he wanted to hear about the progress that’s been made. His priority, he said, was to find out from local officials whether they have access to the federal funding approved for rebuilding the Creeper Trail.
One month ago, Kaine and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., raised concerns that the $660 million approved for repair of the Creeper Trail was not flowing as it should. They joined two Republican senators from North Carolina in writing a letter to federal officials asking that they quickly allocate the money, which was approved by Congress on Dec. 21 as part of a spending measure that averted a government shutdown. 
“What we heard was good news today from the Forest Service in the state that the dollars are there and available, and as they are doing work they’re pulling the dollars down,” he said. “And what we heard today … was that the challenges ahead are less about dollars flowing than just about there’s so much work to do, and what piece do we do first?”
Joby Timm, forest supervisor for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, said the Forest Service has received the funding that was approved for repairs through the supplemental packages.
Ken Arney, regional forester for the Forest Service in the Southern Region, which covers 13 states, said that the $660 million approved was not just for the trail; it will also cover watershed and forest restorations.
Timm said that $200 million to $300 million is the estimated cost for trail repairs.
A lot of planning is being done behind the scenes, and officials are moving toward assessing and then hiring contractors for the trail project, Timm said. Debris removal is expected to begin later this summer, he added.
Timm said it’s “yet to be determined” how long the Creeper Trail repair will take.
As for repairs in Damascus, Town Manager Chris Bell told Kaine that more than 70 homes have been repaired, four new homes have been built and four more are in the works. Road repair projects and paving are underway, and the town has three new businesses, he added.
“Everything’s aligning and we’re going to be better than we were before the storm,” Bell said.
