Linn Cove Viaduct — Attraction in Banner Elk

What an amazing viaduct who designed by Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc., with construction beginning in 1979. Some 1,243 feet (379 m) long and a little less than 40 feet (12 m) wide, the viaduct rests on seven piers. What made its construction noteworthy was keeping heavy construction equipment off the group This included the preliminary geotechnical exploration/evaluation work begun in 1975 where crews hiked to the site and drilling equipment was lowered to each bore-hole location by helicopter. Building the bridge from its south side, this was done by connecting 153 segments one at a time using a custom crane that moved along the viaduct as it was being built. Each segment, nominally 8.5 feet (2.6 m) long and weighing 50 tons, was precast at a facility onsite and moved on a carriage to the crane. All but one of these segments were slightly curved as the viaduct needed to be shaped in a "S-and-a-half" figure to follow the contours of the mountain. The only work done on the ground involved drilling the footings for the piers which also were built in a segmental manner. The viaduct has received numerous design awards to include the 1984 President's Design Award, which states, "... construction of the roadway by pre-cast, segmental concrete elements set from above on segmental piers is elegant, economical, and new… results in an elegant curving ribbon that caresses the terrain without using it as a support. It gives the motorist the sensation of driving tantalizing on air while the...

This was by far the most beautiful spot on my Memorial Day Weekend road trip from NJ… Drove my 1998 Lexus GS300 down from NJ Sunday before Memorial Day 2024 left at 4AM entered the Blue Ridge Parkway North in VA drove down to CrabTree falls but I camped in Virginia my first night Sunday into Monday an drove to Julian Price Campground for Monday into Tuesday Night an car camped in my Lexus an Memorial Day went on hikes an went to this Linn Cove Bridge and it was by far the most beautiful spot of the trip directly off the parkway an during the day it was crowded an since it’s only a 15-20 min drive from Julian Price Campground I woke up at 5AM packed up camp an headed to Linn Cove to have my morning coffee sit on the chilly Road Barrier an took some pics and vids and watched the sun rise an here are some pics an a clip below from Memorial Day when it was crowded an the Sunrise the...

Linn Cove Viaduct was the last section of the parkway to be constructed and the most difficult. Typical road construction would have significantly damaged Grandfather Mountain, so the solution was a viaduct. The Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor Center is located at mile post 304.4 on the parkway, just a mile north of US-221 near Grandfather Mountain. There are restrooms, lots of information and a small gift shop here. A short paved trail leads from the north end of the parking lot to underneath one section of the viaduct. You really get a feel for what an engineering marvel the viaduct is when you walk under it and see the massive cliffs and steep terrain that the road was built on. The 13-mile Tanawha Trail runs through here so a great spot to set off on a...