Chetoogeta Mountain Tunnel
Encyclopedia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, USA.
The first tunnel was completed on May 7, 1850, as part of the construction of the Western & Atlantic Railroad (W & A), the first state road in Georgia. It was the first major railroad tunnel in the South and is 1,447 feet/≈0.27 mi or 441 meters in length. It was renovated in 1998-2000 and is now open to the public as a privately-owned historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
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The second tunnel was built from 1926 to 1928 and is 1,557 feet/≈0.3 mi or 475 meters long. It is still in use by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, under lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
from the Georgia Department of Transportation
Georgia Department of Transportation
The Georgia Department of Transportation is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs...
. It, like the entire W & A subdivision, is a major route between Atlanta and Chattanooga.
The nearby town of Tunnel Hill, Georgia
Tunnel Hill, Georgia
Tunnel Hill is a town in northwest Whitfield County, Georgia, United States,and southern Catoosa County, Georgia, United States . It is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,209 at the 2000 census.-History:...
(originally Tunnelsville) was created and named for the first tunnel, and was the supply base
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
for its construction materials and worker housing
Home
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
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