MP 242 | DOUGHTON PARK BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY A New-Deal Scenic Treasure What began as a component of economic relief efforts during the Great Depression is known today for being one of the most picturesque drives in the United States. MP 364.4 | CRAGGY FLATS TUNNEL J. SCOTT GRAHAM President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 visit to the Shenandoah National Park's newly constructed public roadway, Skyline Drive, is largely to thank for the inception of the country's first leisurefocused national rural parkway. Former Senator Harry Byrd approached him soon after, proposing an extension so as to create 4 BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY a road linking Virginia's Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park occupying parts of North Carolina and Tennessee. In November of that same year, the proposition was given all necessary stamps of approval. The moment also served as a beacon of hope for engineers, contractors