Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels facts for kids
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| Bluff Mountain Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Blue Ridge Parkway |
| Route | Blue Ridge Parkway |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 1930s |
| Technical | |
| Construction | stone and concrete |
The Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels are a cool part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This famous road is about 469 miles (755 km) long. Along this route, you'll find 26 special vehicle tunnels. One tunnel is in Virginia, and the other 25 are in North Carolina.
These tunnels were built to protect the beautiful landscape. Instead of cutting huge open paths through the mountains, tunnels were dug. This helped keep the natural look of the steep hillsides.
Most of the tunnels are in North Carolina. This is because its mountains are more rugged. A lot of the tunnel digging was done by hand. This work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. These were young people who needed jobs during tough economic times. Not many machines were used back then. But they did use special truck-mounted drills called "Jumbos." After drilling holes, they used dynamite to blast away the rock.
Sometimes, concrete lining was added inside the tunnels. This happened during construction to stop cave-ins. The first time this was done was in the Devil's Courthouse Tunnel. Workers later found that the concrete also made the tunnels brighter inside. It covered about a quarter of the tunnel's inner walls. An extra benefit was that it stopped water from getting in. Water could cause dangerous ice problems in winter.
The Pine Mountain Tunnel is the longest on the Parkway. It is about 1,434 feet (437 meters) long. You'll also find the "triplet tunnels." These are three tunnels close together. Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1 is the first and longest of these. The local people used to call ferns "ferrins." Ferrin Knob Tunnel #2 is at milepost 401.3. Ferrin Knob Tunnel #3 is just a bit further at milepost 401.5.
The cool stone entrances you see on the tunnels today were not built at first. They were added later on.
Tunnels Along the Parkway
Here is a list of the tunnels. They are ordered by their milepost number. You can also see their name and how long they are. The maximum height is in the middle of the tunnel. The minimum height is at the edge of the road.
| Milepost | Name of the tunnel | Length | Maximum Height | Minimum Height | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.1 | Bluff Mountain Tunnel | 630 feet (192 m) | 19 feet 1 inch (5.8 m) | 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) | 37°39′55″N 79°19′22″W / 37.66538°N 79.322866°W |
| 333.4 | Little Switzerland Tunnel | 547 feet (167 m) | 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) | 14 feet 4 inches (4.4 m) | 35°51′06″N 82°05′09″W / 35.851638°N 82.085917°W |
| 336.4 | Wildacres Tunnel | 240 feet (73 m) | 19 feet 10 inches (6.0 m) | 13 feet 1 inch (4.0 m) | 35°49′47″N 82°07′05″W / 35.829603°N 82.117972°W |
| 344.6 | Twin Tunnel (North) | 240 feet (73 m) | 21 feet (6.4 m) | 16 feet (4.9 m) | 35°45′49″N 82°10′09″W / 35.763598°N 82.169124°W |
| 344.7 | Twin Tunnel (South) | 409 feet (125 m) | 19 feet 7 inches (6.0 m) | 14 feet 7 inches (4.4 m) | 35°45′43″N 82°10′12″W / 35.761875°N 82.170027°W |
| 349.0 | Rough Ridge Tunnel | 245 feet (75 m) | 21 feet 6 inches (6.6 m) | 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m) | 35°43′37″N 82°12′25″W / 35.726871°N 82.207028°W |
| 364.4 | Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel | 176 feet (54 m) | 19 feet 9 inches (6.0 m) | 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) | 35°42′04″N 82°22′37″W / 35.701204°N 82.376888°W |
| 365.6 | Craggy Flats Tunnel | 335 feet (102 m) | 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) | 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) | 35°41′14″N 82°23′01″W / 35.687289°N 82.383519°W |
| 374.4 | Tanbark Ridge Tunnel | 746 feet (227 m) | 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) | 14 feet 1 inch (4.3 m) | 35°39′51″N 82°27′41″W / 35.664224°N 82.461434°W |
| 397.1 | Grassy Knob Tunnel | 600 feet (183 m) | 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) | 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) | 35°28′09″N 82°37′20″W / 35.469254°N 82.622304°W |
| 399.3 | Pine Mountain Tunnel | 1,320 feet (402 m) | 19 feet 3 inches (5.9 m) | 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) | 35°26′57″N 82°38′38″W / 35.449040°N 82.643771°W |
| 400.9 | Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1 | 360 feet (110 m) | 19 feet 6 inches (5.9 m) | 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) | 35°27′22″N 82°40′01″W / 35.456014°N 82.666996°W |
| 401.3 | Ferrin Knob Tunnel #2 | 231 feet (70 m) | 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) | 14 feet (4.3 m) | 35°27′18″N 82°40′27″W / 35.455056°N 82.674271°W |
| 401.5 | Ferrin Knob Tunnel #3 | 323 feet (98 m) | 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) | 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m) | 35°27′15″N 82°40′34″W / 35.454157°N 82.676163°W |
| 403.0 | Young Pisgah Ridge Tunnel | 400 feet (122 m) | 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) | 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) | 35°27′16″N 82°42′03″W / 35.454444°N 82.700881°W |
| 403.9 | Fork Mountain Tunnel | 350 feet (107 m) | 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) | 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) | 35°27′01″N 82°42′55″W / 35.450169°N 82.715308°W |
| 406.9 | Little Pisgah Tunnel | 500 feet (152 m) | 19 feet 5 inches (5.9 m) | 13 feet 10 inches (4.2 m) | 35°25′18″N 82°44′33″W / 35.421636°N 82.742592°W |
| 407.4 | Buck Springs Tunnel | 380 feet (116 m) | 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 m) | 13 feet 8 inches (4.2 m) | 35°25′04″N 82°44′52″W / 35.417720°N 82.747806°W |
| 410.1 | Frying Pan Tunnel | 275 feet (84 m) | 19 feet 9 inches (6.0 m) | 13 feet 8 inches (4.2 m) | 35°23′28″N 82°46′26″W / 35.390981°N 82.773952°W |
| 422.1 | Devil's Courthouse Tunnel | 350 feet (107 m) | 19 feet (5.8 m) | 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) | 35°18′19″N 82°53′43″W / 35.305332°N 82.895343°W |
| 439.7 | Pinnacle Ridge | 750 feet (229 m) | 19 feet 1 inch (5.8 m) | 13 feet 10 inches (4.2 m) | 35°26′06″N 83°02′02″W / 35.434901°N 83.033833°W |
| 458.8 | Lickstone Ridge Tunnel | 402 feet (123 m) | 13 feet 1 inch (4.0 m) | 11 feet 1 inch (3.4 m) | 35°30′28″N 83°11′16″W / 35.507822°N 83.187861°W |
| 459.3 | Bunches Bald Tunnel | 268 feet (82 m) | 13 feet 4 inches (4.1 m) | 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m) | 35°30′52″N 83°11′35″W / 35.514440°N 83.193087°W |
| 461.2 | Big Witch Tunnel | 348 feet (106 m) | 18 feet 1 inch (5.5 m) | 11 feet 3 inches (3.4 m) | 35°31′04″N 83°12′56″W / 35.5178885°N 83.2155379°W |
| 465.6 | Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel | 410 feet (125 m) | 19 feet 6 inches (5.9 m) | 14 feet 5 inches (4.4 m) | 35°31′07″N 83°16′11″W / 35.518671°N 83.269625°W |
| 466.3 | Sherril Cove Tunnel | 572 feet (174 m) | 19 feet 7 inches (6.0 m) | 14 feet 4 inches (4.4 m) | 35°30′42″N 83°16′18″W / 35.511708°N 83.271575°W |
Gallery
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Tunnel construction in the 1930s
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Bluff Mountain Tunnel
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Craggy Flats Tunnel
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Devil's Courthouse Tunnel
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Young Pisgah Ridge Tunnel
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Fryingpan Tunnel
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Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel
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Twin Tunnels
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Grassy Knob Tunnel
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Bunche's Bald Tunnel
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Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel
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Little Switzerland Tunnel
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Rough Ridge Tunnel
