Route 522 in Frederick County to reopen Friday after January rockslide debris removed

Sequenced reopening of lanes on Route 522 (North Frederick Pike) will happen near the site of a rockslide that immediately closed the road on Jan. 13, 2023.

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the northbound lanes west of Winchester from Route 608 (Hunting Ridge Road) to Route 684 (Gainesboro Road) were closed immediately after the rockslide. A detour on the southbound lanes accommodated all northbound and southbound traffic. All lanes were closed on January 24 for several hours with caution for slide activity observation.

Work was completed February 8 to stabilize the slide area, and VDOT contracted with General Excavation Inc. of Warrenton on slope repairs. Hay bales are temporarily along the northbound lane ditch line, but will be replaced with fencing later. The hale bales will serve as a barrier between small falling debris and passing traffic.

All northbound lanes on Route 522 will reopen tomorrow at 6 a.m. Southbound lanes will have single lane traffic in the right lane only. Signs and traffic cones will be removed between 6 a.m. and noon on Friday. Motorists are asked to stay in the right southbound lane even after cones are removed.

Single lane traffic for southbound lanes will end at noon on Friday. Southbound traffic will proceed with a slow-roll work zone from the assistance of the Virginia State Police while crews sweep up debris. Motorists should expect delays for approximately an hour, then all Route 522 lanes will open to normal traffic patterns.