UPDATE (7/17/2014 at 12:11 p.m.):

Shortly before noon, officials on the scene of Monday evening’s train derailment in Wytheville made the decision to open US-21 to both northbound and southbound traffic.

A portion of Grayson Road remains single lane, as crews work to remove train wreckage from the scene.  Flaggers will direct motorists throughout the day, alternating the traffic flow.

Drivers are cautioned to expect delays, as the clean-up process is expected to take several additional days.

Local officials say that both lanes are expected to be opened to the public during nighttime hours.

Original:

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – This afternoon, local officials from both the Town of Wytheville and Wythe County met with Norfolk Southern crews and VDOT personnel to discuss the overall cleanup plan after Monday’s train derailment.

According to Norfolk Southern representatives, crews will be working in the area “during daylight hours” throughout the workweek and hope to be finished obstructing the roadways by Friday. Their work will include moving several pieces of heavy equipment, as well as transporting wrecked cargo from the scene.

Both lanes of US-21 (Grayson Turnpike in Wythe County and Grayson Road in Wytheville) will be open to the public, once crews have finished working for the day; however, the road will be closed to southbound motorists beginning tomorrow at 7 a.m. Drivers attempting to travel to Speedwell, from Wytheville, will be detoured onto Old Stage Rd. and High Bridge Rd.

In an effort to reduce backup, local officials will allow northbound traffic on Grayson Turnpike to continue throughout the day, however, they do caution that drivers may encounter some delays.

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