FREDERICKSBURG – Route 639 (Walnut Shade Road) in Essex County is now open at Baylors Creek after the completion of a culvert replacement project.
Walnut Shade Road was closed in December due to a culvert failure that also damaged the road’s travel surface. The culvert replacement project was scheduled to begin in January 2025, but was accelerated due to the pipe failure.
The 9-mile long detour has been removed.
Although the culvert installation is complete, motorists can expect a rough ride with loose gravel as the travel surface. Crews will return in the spring to pave.
An average of 70 vehicles a day travel Walnut Shade Road, according to a VDOT traffic count.
