If the DOI didn’t request the appropriation and congress never pushed the issue, so the promise was unbroken and the Road to Nowhere would remain unfinished. The covenant signed back in 1943 held that the DOI was bound to build the road only if the funds were appropriated. In 1983, a group of Swain County citizens sued to try and force the federal government to fulfill its promise.īut the government found a loophole big enough to drive one of Bryson City’s historic trains through it. A sign commemorates the Road to Nowhere (photo by Michele Burgess/) The Road to Nowhere lawsuits that followed The federal government didn’t want to continue to pay massive dollars for a road that would be comparatively lightly used. The people of Bryson City knew better, though. The construction was on the unstable rock, and the road would be expensive and potentially damaging to the area’s landscape.īy 1971, construction stopped following the construction of the tunnel and the Noland Creek Bridge.Įnvironmental issues were the impetus, as it was determined that mild acid leaching from the exposed rock would be damaging to nearby streams, plants and fish. In 1962, efforts were made to get the NPS to seriously reconsider the plan. Officially, it’s known as Lakeview Drive, but locally it’s the Road to Nowhere – A Broken Promise, which is so catty and passive-aggressive that they built a sign to commemorate it. That’s right, in 20 years, the DOI managed to build six miles of road and a tunnel at a cost of roughly $4 million. More than thirty years would pass before the project would be abandoned completely.Īfter the dam was finished, through the 1950s and the 1960s, the DOI made slow “progress” on a scenic mountain highway that takes you into the park. When was the Road to Nowhere project abandoned? Read Also: Meet the Caughrons: The last family to have actually lived in Cades Coveįinally, step three – which proved to be the problem – was that the DOI would, contingent upon the appropriation of all necessary funds, build a 30-mile long replacement road along the North side of Fontana Lake to provide families access to cemeteries that would be cut off by the lake. As much as I like the park, it’s worth noting that we were getting pretty good at moving people out of those mountains through the years. Step two came with the caveat that the residents of the land would have to be relocated. What happened to the Road to Nowhere?įirst, the TVA would pay $400K to the county for compensation for flooding Highway 288 and buy 44,000 acres and transfer the land to the National Park Service to be added to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The federal government entered into a three-pronged agreement with the state, Swain County and the Department of the Interior. In 1943, the TVA wanted to create Fontana Lake and the dam of the same name. In the name of progress, people were pushed from their homes – with “fair” compensation – and the entire face of the region changed. It was a massively successful program and one that carries the legacy of a handful of dark secrets.īut you can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, and the eggs the TVA cracked included family farms, cemeteries and even whole communities up and down the multi-state river system. In fact, the lake system prevented massive flooding in the region and created a series of tourist-friendly water recreation throughout the region. And it provided jobs and power to the region through its massive series of dams and lakes. The TVA helped pull the region out of the Great Depression. The federal government is nearing the end of a massive public works program known as the Tennessee Valley Authority. What is the story behind the Road to Nowhere? They’re like patient loan sharks, willing to break legs 60 to 70 years later to get what’s owed to them. Like elephants, the hard-boiled people of Bryson City do not forget, and they’re willing to play the long game. But don’t mess with the people of Bryson City, North Carolina, or you may catch hands … eventually. You ever get into a land war in Asia? I rest my case.īut while some talk a good game, other folks are about that life without catchy slogans or festive T-shirts. There are other places in the world with well-earned reputations of a grittiness that surpasses ordinary folks like you and me. People from the Lone Star state like to say it, and it must be true because it rhymes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |