Big Walker Mountain tunnel - Wikipedia Big Walker Mountain tunnel Big Walker Mountain Tunnel Detailed shot of northbound entrance Overview Official name Big Walker Mountain Tunnel Location Bland / Wythe counties, Virginia, USA Coordinates 37 ° 2 ′ 19 '' N 81 ° 7 ′ 51 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.03861 ° N 81.13083 ° W ﻿ / 37.03861 ; - 81.13083 Coordinates : 37 ° 2 ′ 19 '' N 81 ° 7 ′ 51 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 37.03861 ° N 81.13083 ° W ﻿ / 37.03861 ; - 81.13083 Route I ‐ 77 Operation Opened 1972 Toll None Technical Length 4,229 ft ( 1,289.00 m ) No. of lanes The Big Walker Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia that carries Interstate 77 through / under Big Walker Mountain. It is located a few miles south of the town of Bland and a segment of the Appalachian Trail, and about 20 miles ( 32 km ) south of its longer cousin, the East River Mountain Tunnel. History Northbound at Big Walker Mountain Tunnel Southbound The 4,229 - foot ( 1,288 m ) tunnel was first opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. It carried a price tag of $50 million, which at the time was the most expensive single project undertaken on Virginia 's interstate system. ( 1 ) The opening of the tunnel reduced the travel time from Wytheville to Bland County by 30 minutes. ( 2 ) 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 tunnel approaches and surrounding area can be viewed from the Big Walker Lookout, a 100 - foot observation tower built on a nearby peak. References Virginia asked to ease load restrictions in I - 77 tunnels VDOT Bristol District Info External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Big Walker Mountain Tunnel. Info about I - 77 This article about a building or structure in Virginia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This article about transportation in Virginia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This United States tunnel -- related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Walker_Mountain_Tunnel&oldid=797157489 '' Categories : 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 Virginia building and structure stubs Virginia transportation stubs American tunnel stubs Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 August 2017, at 08 : 17. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the big walker mountain tunnel built
Answer: 1972