Jul 11 Blue Ridge Tunnel

 

Now, this is literally and figuratively a cool place. Especially cool on a hot summer afternoon in central Virginia. Located 700 feet below the intersections of Rt 250, Interstate 64, Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive and Appalachian Trail is the Blue Ridge Tunnel. With portals on both its east side (Afton) and west side (Waynesboro), the tunnel tamed the route through the Blue Ridge mountains at Rockfish Gap. 

This remarkable feat was made possible by Claudius Crozet. Mr Crozet now has a funky small town just to the east named after him. How did a French engineer mange this? Crozet served in Napoleon's army as a young man. He was captured and imprisoned two years in Russia. After his release, he again was with Napoleon's army but after Waterloo and Napoleon's abdication Crozet had had enough of Europe and headed west. After teaching engineering at West Point he landed a position as chief engineer for the Virginia Board of Public Work in 1823. There he worked on canals, bridges, turnpikes and much later, railroads. He left for a 6 year stint in Louisiana before returning to his old job in 1838. The Virginia legislature grew tired of his constant advocacy for a railroad route through the Blue Ridge to open up the Shenandoah Valley, West Virginia (then part of Virginia) to the Ohio River. Crozet was fired in 1841. Once again Crozet was hired to his old position in 1849 as the groundswell for such a route became widespread. His proposal to connect a route from Afton to Waynesboro by way of 4 tunnels was started immediately. The state legislation funded the Blue Ridge Railroad. It was to build a 17 mile track connecting to existing railroads on either side of the Blue Ridge.   

Hand drilled hole for black gunpowder

The four tunnels - Little Rock, Brooksville, Greenwood and Blue Ridge were part of the plan. Blue Ridge Tunnel at 4273' was by far the longest and most difficult. The work force was mainly Irish immigrants fleeing the aftermath of the Irish Potato Famine. Beside upwards of 850 Irish, about 50 locals and 40 slaves were hired. Rains and strikes plagued the construction which was being done by hand and black gunpowder blasts, 24 hours a day. Deaths of 189 persons were reported from 1849 to 1858. The public grew tired of the delays, so in 1854 temporary track was built around the unfished tunnels and the railroad was open for business but only for trains that could mange the steep and winding temporary track. Crozet's management was so severely criticized that he resigned in Jan of 1858 just months before the opening in April. The Blue Ridge Railroad was acquired at that time by Virginia Central which in turn became part of Covington and Ohio, then Chesapeake & Ohio and finally CSX. A sister tunnel was built in 1944 right next to the Blue Ridge Tunnel so larger locomotives could use the railway. The only tunnel of the 4 original ones still open and in use is Little Rock.

Waterfall in the tunnel

With the Blue Ridge Tunnel abandoned, a local company leased it in the 1950s to store propane. Two bulkheads were built inside the tunnel, one 750' in from the East Portal and the other 1900' from the West Portal. Although, the venture failed, the tunnel was now blocked in 2 spots. In 2007 CSX donated the tunnel to Nelson County. The Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Foundation raised the funds needed to remove the bulkheads and build trails and trailheads on both sides. In Nov 2020 it opened to the public.

There is a massive parking area by the East Portal and I assume a similar one beyond the West Portal. Approaching from the east, the first thing you see are the two tunnel entrances. The still active CSX tunnel built in 1944 is rather close, much fencing is needed to keep everyone off the live tracks. As we were walking in this area a maintenance crew was passing on the CSX track spraying herbicide which had an odd odor. Once in the tunnel you can see the other opening about a mile away. After just a few minutes you'll need that flashlight turned on. We encountered a number of folks walking, all had lights of some sort. There were no bicycles and I don't know if they are permitted. 

Long shadows in the tunnel. Note the brickwork ahead.

We heard traffic sounds occasionally. I think we were hearing truck traffic on the interstate 700' above. A train in the adjacent tunnel surely would be heard as well. Water penetration is evident in a few spots near the East Portal. Gutter ditches on both sides carry water out the East Portal. There were several drains built during construction to remove both groundwater and rainfall. We did not see any of these. 

From the East Portal side, you can walk to the West Portal and back for just over a 2 mile hike. It is about twice as long from the parking area on the west side.