USDA Forest Service Awards Kiewit Potential $240M Virginia Creeper Trail Reconstruction Contract

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service awarded construction and engineering firm Kiewit Infrastructure a potential $240.6 million contract for the Virginia Creeper Bridge and Trail Reconstruction project.

What Is the Scope of the Virginia Creeper Bridge & Trail Reconstruction Contract?

According to the award notice published Thursday on SAM.gov, the contract covers design-build services for the national recreation trail in Southwest Virginia. Kiewit Infrastructure, based in Peachtree City, Georgia, has secured a firm-fixed-price contract to reconstruct parts of the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail, specifically the bridges and trail sections that were heavily damaged during Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024.tpo

The effort covers approximately 18 miles of the trail’s eastern section in Washington and Grayson counties, and outside Damascus and Whitetop Station, which are owned and managed by the agency. Kiewit will reconstruct 31 trestle bridges, damaged treadway and other features along the trail, ensuring it retains its former footprint and a grade of two to seven percent.

The Virginia Creeper Trail is a 34-mile rail-to-trail corridor that follows the former Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, serving as a regional recreational asset.