Evening star., 1939-06-18

President Hopes
For Northern
Extension
mountain-top boulevards of the
Shenandoah and Blue Ridge. with
their freedom from cross traffic and
city driving, there will be Nation-
wide demand for a realization OF
President Roosevelt's dream of a
scenic motor parkway from Canada
to Georgia
Few Crossroads.
The Federal policy governing con-
struction of the Blue Ridge Parkway
calls for access to the parkway mo-
tor road from other public roads
only at established access points.
Private roads will not be permitted
to connect with or cross the park
way. In accordance with this pol
Icy, acquisition of land is carried on
under an agreement that the State
concerned will furnish means of in
gress and egress outside the park
way 10 property owners having
frontage on the rights of way af-
fected
The work now in progress in the
parkway, in addition to the con-
structlon OF the roadway, includes
the building of overpasses and
prldges at intersections of important
State highways across the noun
tains.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is the
longest single unit recreational
parkway now planned in the United
States. 1t was conceived in 1888
and Is being carried to completion
as a cooperative Federal and State
undertaking. The State furnishes
the necessary right of way and
scenic easements, construction funds
being provided by the Federal
Authority.
Other proposed parkways will
follow the same plan. The COM
pleted Mount Vernon highway. from
Washington to Mount Vernon. is
the first link in just such a planned
parkway-the George Washington
Memorial Parkway, eventually to
extend along both shores of the
Potomac River from Mount Vernon
to Great Falls, and perhaps later
to George Washington's birthplace
at Wakefield, Va, and up the pic
turesque Potomac Valley above the
Falls.
NatcheZ Trace.
The Natchez Trace development
eventually will extend 466 miles
from Natchez to Nashville. Work
was started during the past fiscal
year on five sections of the trace
in Mississippi and one each in Ten
nessee and Alabama All but one
OF these sections are completed.
They average about 10 miles each
IN length. Two of these sections
are north of. Jackson, Miss; one of
II mile is just north of Natchez and
a 15-mile section has been con-
structed between French Camp and
kosclusko. The Tennessee Alabama
sections. totaling 20 miles, straddle
the State line, extending from a
point south of Collingwood. Tenn,
to State highway No. SO in Ala
bama.
Upon the completion of acquisi-
ton work now being carried on by
the three States, construction work
will be undertaken on other por-
tionS Of the trace.
Practically all of the Natchez
Trace is being built along a new
right of way. following closely the
old trail Of Indian and pioneer DAYS.
For this parkway, an average of 100
acres per mile are being acquired
in fee simple and coming control
is being provided over an additional
80 acres per mile. This provides
right of way averaging 300 feet in
width, owned outright by the Fed
eral Government. and an additional
strip 200 feet wide on each side of
this right of way under partial
Federal control, making total
width of 1900 feet under complete
or partial control. Within this area,
nearly a quarter of mile wide, no
commercial developments will be
permitted, and within the 80O-foot
width natural conditions will be
preserved. There will be grade
separations at all principal high
ways and railroad intersections. As
in the case of the Blue Ridge Park
way, no private roads will be given
direct access to the parkway.
High Elevations.
The Blue Ridge Parkway also
averages 800 feet in width and its
average elevation along the 1900
miles Is $500 feet. In some sections
in North Carolina 1t climbs to a
mile above sea level.
The landscape development of the
parkway not only is expected to
provide display of native plants
under ideal conditions, but also is
expected to benefit wild life by pro-
viding a shelter, closed to hunters,
for native animals and birds. The
entire parkway will serve as a great
sanctuary, offering a safe place for
game to breed and feed. Some of
the parkway streams will be stocked
with trout and other game fish.
Although no hunting or fishing
will be permitted in the parkway it.
self, the creation of the sanctuary
there is expected in time to geratly
improve the stocks of fish and game
in the streams and countryside in
the whole vicinity.
1T is our hope that the park
way will become a great breeding