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Blue Ridge Parkway
Virginia and North Carolina
The CCC transplants a tree, ca. 1936. |
WARTIME DELAYS
By the outbreak of World War II, over $20 million had been spent on construction. Some 170 miles were open to travel, and another 160 miles were in some stage of construction. The onset of hostilities brought the work largely to a halt. Construction funds were impounded, and many parkway employees left to join the armed services. Use of the completed sections was very light due to gasoline and tire rationing and a temporary ban on recreational driving. The suspension of the New Deal relief programs stripped the parkway of its main forces engaged in landscape and development work. At the end of the war, the parkway had a difficult time converting back to peacetime operations. Furloughed personnel returned slowly. Much of the equipment had been declared surplus and turned over to the military, leaving the parkway short of cars, trucks and maintenance equipment. Funds were difficult to obtain, and postwar construction proceeded slowly.
Enjoying the view at Purgatory Mountain Overlook. |
| Introduction | Acadia | Blue Ridge Parkway | Colonial Parkway | Generals Highway | George Washington Memorial Parkway | Great Smoky Mountains | Mount Rainier | Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway | Shenandoah's Skyline Drive | Southwest Circle Tour | Vicksburg | Yellowstone | Yosemite | Discover History |
