The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-10-23
:JEFFRESS Isl
BACKING PARK.
LOOP HIGHWAY.
Suggests Highway Follow
ing Crest Of the Blue
Ridge Mountains
BY J. c. BASKERVILL
The Times-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

Sir Walter Hotel
RALEIGH, Oct. 23.-Heartily
in favor Of the park-to-park high
way now being advocated to ex-
tend from Washington, down
through the Shenandoah National
park in Virginia and on to the
Great Smoky Mountains National
park in Western North Carolina
and Eastern Tennessee, Chair
man Z. B. Jeffress of the state
highway and public works COM
mission advocated a loop plan
for the highway. Chairman JEFF
fress believes the highway should
follows as nearly as possible the
crest of the Blue Ridge noun
tains through Virginia and North
Carolina all the way to the
Great Smoky Mountains National
park, then cross over into Ten-
nessee and become a high speed
highway back to Washington
through the foothills of Eastern
Tennessee and Southwestern Vir-
ginia back to Washington. This
return route is already virtually
completed, with pavement almost
all the way from Sevierville,
Tenn, to Bristol, Tenn.-Va., and
thence into Roanoke and back to
Washington. This would cut from
one to two days off the return
trip to Washington, he believes.
IF the park-to-park highway
is to be a real scenic highway, as
those most interested in it want
it to be, it should follow as near
ly as possible the crest of the
Blue Ridge mountains all the
way from Front Royal, Va, all
the way to Asheville and on into
the Smoky Mountain National
park" Chairman Jeffress said.
There is no doubt this route
would be difficult to travel and
would require about three days
to cover from Washington to the
Smoky Mountain park, and with
many drivers probably four days.
1t would be real mountain driv-
ing and provide the finest OF
scenery.
"Any one who wanted to could,
of course, return by this same
route. But there will be many
who will not want to take that
much time in returning to Wash
ington and points north. These
could then go around the loop
and take the less mountainous,
high speed route back as far as
Roanoke, Va, or on up through
Staonton and Harrisburg or
even to Winchester, before cut
ting over towards Washington.
Or it could turn off at New Mar
Ilet and go back to Washington
by way Of Luray, Sperryville and
Warrenton, Va. This return
route will offer scenery just as
but the driving will
be less difficult and much faster
lime can be made than on the
more mountainous route. This
return route also has the advan-
tage of already being almost COM
pletely paved"
The route for the new park
to-parl1 highway, for which APP
$20,000,000 is being
asked from the public works adj
miniStration, as now suggested
by most Of its advocates, would
extend west from Washington to
Leesburg or Middleburg, Va,
then cut south to Front Royal,
and on down the crest of the
Blue Ridge to connect with the
projected "Skyland
Drive" highway through the
Shenandoah National park area,
follow this to its terminus below
and then be new con-
struction on down to near Way
nesboro, Buena Vista and Glas-
cow to Roanoke. From Roanoke,
the new highway would probably
extend along the route of the
present unimproved road to Cop
per Hill and Floyd. Va, to near
Willis, and then follow a new
through to Fancy Gap and
on to the North Carolina line
just above Sparta, in Allegheny
county.
After crossing the North Caro-
lima line at the point where the
present highway from GalaX, Va,
joins with N. C. Route Is almost
at the state line, the new road
could either follow new loca-
ton taking it down by Roaring
Gap and Mulberry Gap, or fol-
low No. IS around by Sparta
Laurel Springs to Null
berry Gap and on down by Deep
Gap to Blowing Rock, Jeffress
said. From Blowing Rock, the
new road would probably follow
Route % to Linvilla. Pineola and
Iinville Falls, then follow new
survey over to Little Switzer-
land and Buck Creek Gap. skirt
the base Of Mount Mitchell and
follow another entirely new route
to Join with No. 694 and come
on into Asheville over that route
across Sunset Mountain.
Going west out of AsheviIlee,
the highway would probably fol-
low what is No. 10. except that
this route would probably be re-