ROADWAY CONSTRUCTION AND EVOLUTION

The road network of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has evolved from dirt carriage roads to a groomed circuit of paved drives for safe and comfortable auto travel throughout the battlefield landscape.

National Park Service Era — 1930s
Major park roads were widened and concreted (A) by the NPS and BPR. Tree wells preserved roadside trees (B). Broad vegetated shoulders (C) and concrete drop culverts (D) replaced stone gutters and culverts. Stonefaced concrete spans replaced many old culverts.

Park Commission Era — 1890s
Roads were built on historic alignments. Improvements include oiling, graveling, or macadamizing surfaces (G), widening and constructing stone gutters and culverts, and bridgess of stone, metal and concrete. Corbeled limestone revetment structures (H) raised roads above areas prone to flooding.

Civil War Era — 1863
During the Battle of Chickamauga roads were simple dirt routes with little drainage and no paving (I). These were used as the base for most of todays park road network.

Mission 66 and Today — 1956 through 2000
Most of the park roads were repaved with asphalt and often widened (F) to accomodate increased visitation and growing automobile sizes.

Horse-drawn gravel spreaders were used to lay the base for the macadam surface of park roads, ca. 1893 (CHCH)

Steam roller purchased for compacting the Macadam surface of park roads, ca. 1893 (CHCH)

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