Bradley Payne Narrative

Living in Rocky Gap Virginia, you had to travel over East River Mountain to get to Bluefield or Princeton or where ever you was going. Road conditions was very bad. The road were not wide enough in some places for cars to pass each other. Then was no guard rails up. The mountain was always foggy a night and in the winter time, very dangerous and treacherous. Well, we did most of our shopping in Bluefield. So in the average, two to three times a week. We had to travel from Rocky Gap to Bluefiled. Yes. Once you got up on the mountain the scenery was beautiful. You could look back on Rock Gap Virginia and you could see the mountains and the valleys, or right on top of East River Mountain you should see Bluefield, and the whole town of Bluefield. But the main attraction on East River Mountain, before the tunnel was put in, was the craft shop up there, the train rides. very nice on East River Mountain, that was the good points. And I’m not mistaken even the tunnel was very good for both sides of the mountain. We lost our attraction up there because there was no traffic then going over East River Mountain, everything was converted through the tunnel. So, we lost all that on East River Mountain. Oh my yes, it's a great improvement. I would give all the luxury of the East River Mountain scenery just to have a safer way backward and forth over the mountain. Yes, the tunnel is a great improvement and a safer route.