The new entrance ― a 164-foot tunnel into a hillside adjacent to the caverns’ main building ― brings to a close a “decades-long goal” set it motion by the late H.T.N. “Ted” Graves, said the Caverns’ Director of Marketing and Sales John Shaffer.

The former Caverns’ president began removing steps and improving walkways with brick, concrete and ramps throughout the attraction in 1954. That process was completed nearly two decades later in 1975, but plans to eliminate steps into the caverns “remained elusive due to uncertain methods and cost,” said Shaffer.

Over the past several years John and Rod Graves worked to achieve their father’s goal, approving project plans to excavate a new entrance for the 1-and-a-quarter-mile tour route by Racey Engineering and Lantz Construction in March 2017. The project officially kicked off in June of that year, according to a June 26 news release issued by the construction team.

Now in its final phase of construction, a looping covered walkway is set to be completed soon, said Shaffer. The project was initially slated to be completed in mid-2018. A completion date and grand opening has not yet been set, Shaffer added.

Once the entrance is open, it will serve as the sole entry and exit point for caverns’-goers, making it more accessible to visitors and “one of the few underground wonders in the world providing tours on all-paved walkways.”

Image courtesy of Charles King and Luray Caverns