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FHWA By Day

A Look at the History of the Federal Highway Administration
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June 20
1936 Public Law 74-848, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt today, officially names the "Blue Ridge Parkway." Other names considered include Skyline Drive, Skyland Drive, Park-to-Park Highway, Scenic Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Parkway, the Appalachian National Parkway, the Southern Appalachian Parkway, and The Ickes Highway (after Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes). Secretary Ickes had recommended the chosen name in a press release on February 18 after receiving an endorsement from the Division of Geographic Names, which favored the name "because the parkway lies upon the Blue Ridge throughout most of the length of both the parkway and the ridge. It is, geographically, a most appropriate name."
Photo: Excavation work on the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1936.
Excavation work on the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1936. In the background, men drill holes for explosives used to break up rock, while a diesel-powered shovel loads earth into dumptrucks.
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