Overview
Completed in 1849 and opened to rail traffic on May 9, 1850, the Tunnel Hill tunnel represented the most challenging engineering obstacle on the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Crews began work from opposite sides of Chetoogeta Mountain and excavated through solid limestone using hand tools and black powder.
When the headings met on October 31, 1849, they aligned within only a few inches—a remarkable feat of nineteenth-century surveying and engineering. Roughly 220 workers participated in the project, using more than 220 kegs of powder during construction. The tunnel completed Georgia’s state-owned railroad between Atlanta and Chattanooga and became one of the earliest railroad tunnels in the South. For nearly eighty years, it served as a vital link in the Western & Atlantic Railroad before being replaced by a larger tunnel in 1928.
Quick Facts
- Status
- Existing
- Address
- 215 Clisby Austin Dr, Tunnel Hill, GA 30755
- Coordinates
- 34.839072, -85.035414
Railroads and Organizations
Happening
April 12, 1862
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