The Beautiful Roads

THE PARKWAYS OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS

Skyline Drive near High Top. — Photo by Bob Kirchman

“It is a wonder way over which the tourist will ride comfortably in his car while he is stirred by a view as exhilarating as the aviator may see from the plane.” — U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (Virginia)

Today we often think of highways as utilitarian necessities at best, and it is true that they are often not designed for asthetics, but there was a time when motor roads, like many other things, were crafted by designers who had an incredible sense of beauty.

The roads through the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smoky Mountains are indeed beautiful. Built to gently follow the contours of the land, they became a part of the landscape rather than a cut through it.

“Macadamized and smooth, with easy gradient and wide sweeping curves, the drive unfolds to view innumerable panoramas of lofty peaks, forested ravines and the patchwork patterns of valley farms.” – Harvey Benson

Harvey Benson drew up the initial design for the ridge-top road. It is still much as originally envisioned. The biggest change is that the simple white center line of the original road has been replaced with AASHTO standard yellow lines. The road is still a popular destination, much as Benson intended.

Building a bridge. — Public Domain Photo

A Magnificent Tunnel. — Public Domain Photo

While it is often thought that the stone bridges and tunnel portals were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, that is not the case. The builders actually employed Italian and Spanish master masons. Their work is timeless, much like America’s earliest railroad viaducts built by Henry Latrobe for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

NPS Surveys done in modern times capture the beautiful design of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

A historical photo captures the original white center line.