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Blue Ridge Tunnel almost complete
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Thursday, May 9, 2019: Want To Walk Or Bike Across The Country? There's A Plan For That.
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Blue Ridge Tunnel almost complete
By Erin Conway econway@newsadvance.com 5 hrs ago
After years of work and numerous setbacks, it looks as though the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton will be complete in 2020.
Although the project was initiated in 2001, according to County Administrator Steve Carter, ground breaking didn’t take place until 2014, a year and a half after grant funding was awarded for the beginning phase of the project. The 19-year-long dream was broken into three phases and, despite financial roadblocks over the years, the final phase is set to be complete in June 30, 2020, according to Mark Zimmerman, senior project manager.
President of the foundation and Nelson resident Allen Hale said the completion has been a long time coming and is possible due to solid relationships between public and private entities.
....
The Blue Ridge Tunnel, as it was appropriately named when constructed in the 1850s because it goes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, was open for almost 100 years servicing the Virginia Central Railroad. In the late 1800s, the VCR was renamed to Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and ran through the mountain until the tunnel closed in 1944. At the time the original tunnel was complete, it was the longest mountain railroad tunnel in the world, according to Hale and Zimmerman. The tunnel is 4,250 feet long, Zimmerman said.
The tunnel is named after its designer; a French engineer named Claudius Crozet. It was named for him after another tunnel replaced his original work after its closure in 1944. Hale said the tunnel is of great interest to the public, but also engineers specifically because of what Crozet was able to accomplish.
“It’s really important for the region. It’s a very historic tunnel. It will be a great hiking and biking trail available to people. I am sure they will come from all over, not just locally,” Hale said.
....
Work officially began for phase 1 began in 2014 thanks to funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board through the “Transportation Alternatives” competitive grant program, according to the county. Total funding for phase 1 was $749,149. phase 2 totaled $3.7 million, according to Carter. phase 3, for which funding began flowing in October, totals about $1.3 million. Carter said the project was made possible because of grant money.
The culmination of 2018 provided an end to the drawn out phase 2 and mid-2019 provided the beginning of phase 3 called “the western trail.” Hale and Zimmerman both noted the tunnel, although completed, is not open to the public yet. Out of safety concerns, they urged the public to stay away until it’s official opening.
Blue Ridge Tunnel almost complete
By Erin Conway econway@newsadvance.com 5 hrs ago
After years of work and numerous setbacks, it looks as though the Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton will be complete in 2020.
Although the project was initiated in 2001, according to County Administrator Steve Carter, ground breaking didn’t take place until 2014, a year and a half after grant funding was awarded for the beginning phase of the project. The 19-year-long dream was broken into three phases and, despite financial roadblocks over the years, the final phase is set to be complete in June 30, 2020, according to Mark Zimmerman, senior project manager.
President of the foundation and Nelson resident Allen Hale said the completion has been a long time coming and is possible due to solid relationships between public and private entities.
....
The Blue Ridge Tunnel, as it was appropriately named when constructed in the 1850s because it goes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, was open for almost 100 years servicing the Virginia Central Railroad. In the late 1800s, the VCR was renamed to Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and ran through the mountain until the tunnel closed in 1944. At the time the original tunnel was complete, it was the longest mountain railroad tunnel in the world, according to Hale and Zimmerman. The tunnel is 4,250 feet long, Zimmerman said.
The tunnel is named after its designer; a French engineer named Claudius Crozet. It was named for him after another tunnel replaced his original work after its closure in 1944. Hale said the tunnel is of great interest to the public, but also engineers specifically because of what Crozet was able to accomplish.
“It’s really important for the region. It’s a very historic tunnel. It will be a great hiking and biking trail available to people. I am sure they will come from all over, not just locally,” Hale said.
....
Work officially began for phase 1 began in 2014 thanks to funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board through the “Transportation Alternatives” competitive grant program, according to the county. Total funding for phase 1 was $749,149. phase 2 totaled $3.7 million, according to Carter. phase 3, for which funding began flowing in October, totals about $1.3 million. Carter said the project was made possible because of grant money.
The culmination of 2018 provided an end to the drawn out phase 2 and mid-2019 provided the beginning of phase 3 called “the western trail.” Hale and Zimmerman both noted the tunnel, although completed, is not open to the public yet. Out of safety concerns, they urged the public to stay away until it’s official opening.
