The Observer

Stories of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle

Route 340 Closure Begins Early In The Morning On September 12

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Route 340 Detour along VA 671 and Route 9

If you drove around eastern Jefferson County on Monday afternoon you could see many new road signs, covered in black cloth. Sometime after midnight, in the early morning of September 12, the shrouds will come off the signs, some temporary traffic signals will be turned on, and barriers will be dropped across Route 340, blocking the road between Chestnut Hill Road and Harpers Ferry Road (VA Route 671). The closure, for a project to stablilze the rock cliff above the road is schedule to run through December 11 2023 (see related story).

Commuters can expect heavy traffic along the official detour route (above) and on alternate routes around the county as commuters, school buses, tourists, and residents on everyday errands navigate their way around the closure (see related story).

The West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) provided updates on the project during a public forum held on September 9 at the Blue Ridge Elementary School. Some key details:

  • Route 340 will be closed starting on September 12 (before the morning commute).
  • The road will be closed to all traffic, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until December 11.
  • WVDOH’s contractor is obligated to finish the work that requires the road to be closed within 90 days.
  • The traffic signal on Route 9 at the intersection of Chestnut Hill Road and Old Charles Town Road will continue to be a flashing light. Southbound traffic from Chestnut Hill Road will be directed to turn right onto Route 9. Northbound traffic from Old Charles Town Road will be directed to turn left. Cross traffic and left turns onto Route 9 will be blocked (see maps below for the recommened detours).
  • The traffic signal and stop markings at Route 9 and Harpers Ferry Road in Virginia will be adjusted (see map below).

Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Hansen also spoke at the September 9 forum, saying “we’ll do the best we can to make this as safe as possible.” He stated that he planned to deploy deputies at multiple locations, and will monitor the situation closely to see what the needs will be.

Route 9 driving into West Virginia. The traffic signal will remain a flashing light and drivers from both Chestnut Hill Road (on right in image) and Old Charles Town Road (on left in image) will be directed to turn right at this intersection.
intersection of Route 9 and Chestnut Hill Road and Old Charles Town Road (right turn only)
Aerial view of the intersection of Old Charles Town Road and Chestnut Hill Road with Route 9. Yellow arrows indicate the temporary traffic pattern during the detour (right turn only). Image courtesy of WVDOH.
To head west on Route 9 from Old Charles Town Road, take the left at the fork onto Hostler Road, continue under Route 9, then turn right onto Chestnut Hill Road to connect with Route 9 and make a right turn.
To head east on Route 9 from Chestnut Hill Road, take the right at the fork onto Hostler Road, continue under Route 9, then make the sharp left turn onto Old Charles Town Road to connect with Route 9 and make a right turn.
In Virginia, at the instersection of Harpers Ferry Road and Route 9 (looking east). Temporary traffic signals and new stop marking will be activated during the Route 340 closure.
Intersection of Route 9 and Harpers Ferry Road in Loudoun County Virginia
Aerial view of the intersection of Harpers Ferry Road (Route 671) and Route 9 in Virginia. The yellow bars in the image above indicate the locations of the temporary signals and stop line markings that will hold stopped traffic back from the intersection to allow space for large vehicles to turn off of Harpers Ferry Road. Image courtesy of WVDOH.
Signs indicating roads that are not suitable for truck traffic have been placed on Sagle Road in Loudoun County and on Union Street in Bolivar. WVDOH representatives indicated that Interstate Highways 70 and 81 are the recommended routes for heavy trucks.
On a map, Sagle Road in Loudoun County looks like a connection between Harpers Ferry Road and Route 9, bypassing the traffic signal. The signs at both ends of the road clearly indicate local traffic only, and for a good reason: the surface is not paved and the road is barely 15 feet wide — not really enough room for two cars to pass in opposite directions.

Information Resources Online

The official website for the project is US340HarpersFerry.com. WVDOH recommends drivers visit WV511.org for updates on current traffic conditions. Some local residents have launched a Facebook group for commuters to share information and updates (and provide general support to each other during the 3 months of stressful driving). The Observer will continue to publish updates during the project as well.

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