Creeper Trail rebuild update

Tuesday, Damascus Town Manager Chris Bell and the U.S. Forest Service announced the timeline to rebuild the Virginia Creeper Trail, expecting the repairs to cost between 200 to 300 million dollars and a tentative timeline of completion to be close to fall 2026. 18 miles of the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail, were wiped out from Damascus to Whitetop. Damascus has bounced back after the flooding but more work is still needed and getting the Creeper Trail back open is the next step. The US Forest Service have made efforts on the trail and received bids from potential contractors. A decision will be made by the end of the month on which contractor will be chosen.