History
- Further information:History of Shenandoah National Park
Begun as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, construction of the Skyline Drive was both difficult and dangerous. Large cuts were made into the sides of knolls and peaks to allow for a road wide enough to handle traffic. The work began in 1931, and the final section (from Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap) was completed and opened in 1939. The Civilian Conservation Corps also had a hand in the construction of Skyline Drive. The CCC graded the slopes on both sides of the roadway, built guardrails, constructed overlooks, and planted thousands of trees and shrubs along the parkway.
Already a National Scenic Byway and on the National Register of Historic Places, the Skyline Drive was designated a National Historic Landmark in October 2008.
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North district, Skyline Drive
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Central district, Skyline Drive
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South district, Skyline Drive
Read more about this topic: Skyline Drive
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—Tacitus (c. 55–c. 120)
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—Conor Cruise O’Brien (b. 1917)