Evening star., 1938-07-09
BLUE RIDGE ROAD
WORK|SSPEEDED
IN TWO STATES
Half Of Park Highway to Be
Near Completion by End
of Summer.
$500, 900 AVAILABLE
PUSH CONSTRUCTION
North Carolina and Virginia Go
Ahead With Plans to Finish
500-Mile Project.

+.
One-half Of the 500-mile Blue Ridge
Parkway will have been completed or
In process of construction before the
end Of the summer as a result of ap-
preparations totaling $5,500,000 which
have just become available, according
to officials Of the National Park Serv-
ice. The total appropriations for the
parkway to date amount to $4,000, 900.
Senator Harry F. Byrd, Represent
ative Clifton A. Woodrum, Thomas G..
Burch and A. Willis Robertson will
start two-day tour of the Virginia
sections of the parkway Monday morn
ing in company with Dudley c. Bay.
liss, assistant chief architect of the
National Park Service, and Stanley
w. Abbott, acting superintendent of
the parkway. of Roanoke.
The party will start from Skyland
in the Shenandoah National Park, and
inspect portions from the park boun-
Diary above Waynesboro south to
Humpback Mountain, the peaks Of
Otter near Badford and 40 miles of the
parkway south of Roanoke. The final
portion of the trip will be terminated
at Rocky Knob Park, a 4,OO0-acre
recreation ground now under develop
ment near Floyd. The party will visit
the recently-completed pinnacles Of
Dan hydro-electric project in the
spectacular gorge of the Dan River
early Tuesday afternoon with Dam
vile city officials.
Completing Plans.
The Federal Government and the
States of Virginia and North Carolina
now are completing plans to begin
construction with the newly appropri-
ated funds as soon as possible.
Grading of the parkway in sections
Of about 10 miles in length is ex-
pected in Virginia south from Rock
fish Gap, at the southern end of the
Shenandoah National Park, for 20 or
30 miles, and for 20 miles near the
Peaks of Otter in Bedford County.
In North Carolina the new money
will be used to build about IA miles
from Mount Pisgah south toward
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
and section between Boone and Blow
ing Rock, with possibly another short
section nearer Mount Mitchell. A
number of road bridges and over
passes also will be built in both States.
The 10-mile section from Meadows
OF Dan south toward the State line
was advertised by the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads last week. The necessary
construction money also is in hand for
building the remaining 20 miles to
connect with that part of the park
way which has been completed in
upper North Carolina and it is ex-
pected that this work will be advertised
in the near future.
National Park Service officials have
been informed that oiling of newly
graded portions of the mountain crest
road was begun recently in both States.
More than 100 miles of paving now
is under contract and probably will be
completed by late September. Tour
lists are being kept off newly oiled por-
tions OF the road as much as possible.
Parkway landscaping is in progress
in Floyd and Franklin Counties, Va,
and on 10 miles in North Carolina
just south of the State line. The
first phase of this work Is the re-
moval of dead and down timber and
debris which constitutes fire hazard.
The second phase calls for stump re-
moval to further improve the appear
ance of the parkway and to permit
the better trees to expand"
Views Are Opened.
Under careful supervision, some
trees and branches are removed to
open views of the mountains or to
reveal rhododendron, laurel and
azalea. During the remainder Of the
summer and next winter landscaping
work will be carried on throughout
100 miles Of the parkway.
Planting Is done where necessary
to replace missing natural growth.
Many fields which have been cleared
in past years in the mountains will
be allowed to grow back naturally
into woods or will be planted with
Seeding trees Other fields will be
lined, fertilized and seeded to serve
as wild flower or game food meadows.
Special seed is being planted to pro.
vide food for quail and other wild life.
Plans are being discussed for stock
ing some Of the streams in the park
way with fish. Although hunting Is
prohibited in the parkway, fishing is
permitted in the national parks.
A second Civilian Conservation
Corps camp is to be established in
the parkway in the Bluff Park near
Laurel Springs, N. C. This camp is
expected to be in shape for Begin
ming of work by the company in Oc-
tober. The men stationed In this
camp will work on the landscaping
of the parkway.
A c. G. c. company just established
at Rocky Knob Park, near Floyd,
Va, has already gone to work on land
scaping since July /, in cooperation
with the w. P. A. construction pro-