Abstract: To study the stability of bare roof roadway surrounding rock during excavation in the hard and dense K₂ limestone, based on the theory of elasticity, a mechanical model of a hard bare roof rock beam supported by both softened foundation and elastic foundation is constructed, the analytical expression for the deflection of the roof rock beam is derived, and the mechanical behavior under overburden loads is investigated. The “strong wall protecting roof and strong corner controlling span” principle for surrounding rock control is proposed based on the stiffness effect of the wall and the span effect of the roof, through numerical simulation, on-site monitoring of surrounding rock deformation and detection of the internal structure of the roof, the reliability of the support design scheme is systematically evaluated. The results show that the roof rock beam undergoes overall bending and subsidence as the two side supports are compressed. The subsidence amount of the roof rock beam is negatively correlated with the stiffness of the side support and positively correlated with the span of the roadway; the supporting components formed a continuous prestressed superimposed coupling supporting stress field within the surrounding rock, which effectively enhanced the foundation stiffness of the roadway sides and achieved strong support for the roof; the squeezing effect of the anchor rods improved the mechanical properties of the coal and rock in the side angle area, controlled the equivalent span of the rock beam, and realized strong angle control of the span. The stiffness and span effects effectively control roof subsidence. The deformation of the roadway surface tends to stabilize after 30 d, the support components do not fail, the cumulative deformation of the roof and bottom plates of the roadway is 28 mm and 33 mm, respectively, the final displacement of the two sides is 45 mm, the surrounding rock does not have uncontrollable deformation, achieving safe and effective use of the bare roof roadway under the condition of hard roof condition. Independent microfissures which are not connected to form a fissure zone appear locally in the roof, the roof is not separated from the layer, and the support design achieves effective coupling with the surrounding rock, ensuring the stability of the surrounding rock in the roadway.