A community meeting with the company that was recently awarded a $240.5 million contract to rebuild a portion of the Virginia Creeper Trail that was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene will be hosted Tuesday by the town of Damascus.
The meeting with Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Holston High School, 21308 Monroe Road in Damascus. The public is invited to attend.
Kiewit representatives will provide an introduction and overview of the reconstruction project, but the main focus will be to highlight local opportunities for employment and contracts within the project, Julie Kross, the town’s recreation program director, said in an email Friday.
On Sept. 27, 2024, the town of Damascus and nearby communities of Taylors Valley and Green Cove were hit by the inland effects of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall the previous day on the Gulf Coast.
Following nearly a week of steady rain, the town was hit by flooding and high winds that resulted in the destruction and damage of homes, businesses, bridges and nearly a mile of U.S. 58, which has since been repaired.
The beloved Creeper Trail is a 34-mile recreation trail that extends from Abingdon to Whitetop Station near the North Carolina line. The second half from Damascus to Whitetop, which remains closed, was severely damaged, with most of its trestles destroyed or damaged. Much of the path of the trail was also washed away.
The first half of the trail, from Abingdon to Damascus, sustained minor damage and reopened within a few days. Local officials have been encouraging more bikers and hikers to use that segment of the trail.
The trail is the economic lifeblood of the town of Damascus, where inns, restaurants, bike shuttle businesses and retail shops depend on the tourists it draws to make a living.
The trail runs through the town, which is known as “Trail Town USA.” Before the storm, about 250,000 people visited the recreation trail every year.
Area businesses, contractors, vendors and laborers interested in working on the Creeper Trail project are encouraged to attend. Additional logistical support for lodging, meals, office space and transportation may also be needed, the town notice states.
Town and Washington County officials expect the influx of crews working on the project to bring a lot of needed business to Damascus, the county and Southwest Virginia.
The complete rebuild of the trail and its trestles is expected to start this month and be completed in a year.
