Marys Rock Tunnel

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Marys Rock Tunnel

Marys Rock Tunnel - Late Fall (22160116773).jpg

Looking north into Marys Rock Tunnel
Overview
Official name Marys Rock Tunnel
Location Rappahannock County, Virginia, USA
Coordinates 38°39′15.29″N79°18′44.93″W / 38.6542472°N 79.3124806°W / 38.6542472; -79.3124806 Coordinates: 38°39′15.29″N79°18′44.93″W / 38.6542472°N 79.3124806°W / 38.6542472; -79.3124806
Route Skyline Drive
Operation
Opened 1932
Toll None
Technical
Length 670 ft (204.22 m)
No. of lanes 2
Tunnel clearance 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)

The Marys Rock Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel in the Blue Ridge Mountains. [1] Located at mile marker 32.2 on Skyline Drive, the scenic byway that traverses the length of Shenandoah National Park, it is the only vehicular tunnel in the park. Constructed in 1932 by workers employed with the Civilian Conservation Corps, the tunnel workers took three months to drill and blast through the east slopes of Mary's Rock (3,514 ft (1,071 m)). The two lane tunnel is 670 ft (200 m) long and only 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) high, so recreational vehicles and taller trucks need to check their height restrictions before traveling through it. [2] [3]

Tunnel An underground passage made for traffic

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Blue Ridge Mountains mountain range

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian range.

Skyline Drive National Scenic Byway in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

Skyline Drive is a 105-mile (169 km) road that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The drive's northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Route 340 near Front Royal, and the southern terminus is at an interchange with US 250 near Interstate 64 (I-64) in Rockfish Gap, where the road continues south as the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road has intermediate interchanges with US 211 in Thornton Gap and US 33 in Swift Run Gap. Skyline Drive is part of Virginia State Route 48, which also includes the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but this designation is not signed.

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References

  1. Thornton Gap, VA (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  2. Engle, Reed. "Skyline Drive". National Park Service. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  3. "Driving Skyline Drive". National Park Service. Retrieved September 11, 2016.