Continuing the story of the Blue Ridge Highway, it's impossible not to mention the Lynn Cove Viaduct. It's perhaps the highway's most picturesque viaduct.
If you're familiar with the area, when you hear the Blue Ridge Road mentioned, you'll likely think of this particular bend in the road, which has appeared on thousands of postcards and book covers featuring nature photography in the area.
The viaduct was built in 1987 and was the finishing touch to the construction of the motorway.
The viaduct is 379 metres long and curves around the slope of Grandfather Mountain.
This is what it looks like from below:
It's amazing how such a structure could have been built in this area. There are no roads or convenient access points for machinery nearby—it's pure forest and cliffs. The structure consists of 153 segments, each weighing 50 tons. After each segment was transported to the bridge construction site, it was installed by a special custom-made crane, which was positioned on the existing segment. The only work performed above ground was drilling holes for the bridge supports.
There are mushrooms growing under the bridge:
Stopping is prohibited on the viaduct itself, but there are areas in front of the entrance at both ends.
This design was necessary at this location because a road built in the traditional way along the mountainside would have caused irreparable damage to Grandfather Mountain.
The Lynn Cove Viaduct has won 11 design and engineering awards.
Source: travel.ru