Marys Rock Tunnel — Skyline Drive as New Deal Engineering
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Transcript
Skyline Drive required far more than laying pavement along a ridge. Engineers had to negotiate steep slopes, unstable rock, drainage and the desire to preserve scenic views. Marys Rock Tunnel is the most conspicuous piece of that work. Federal relief programs and the Civilian Conservation Corps supplied enormous amounts of labor throughout Shenandoah, building roads, walls, trails and visitor facilities during the Great Depression. Their work deliberately used stone and rustic design to make infrastructure appear to belong in the landscape. The irony is useful: one of America’s most celebrated scenic roads depends on intensive construction designed to look unobtrusive.