With so many roads to travel on throughout Tennessee, it’s rare that one would give much thought to what engineering marvels they actually are. Tennessee’s geography, topography, water and weather all vary from region to region, creating unique challenges to solve as roads are built and maintained.

In this episode of Highway See, Chris ties all these puzzle pieces together to tell the story of how Tennessee’s roadway system came to be despite unique environmental factors:

• The seven different topographical regions of Tennessee
• The geotechnical expertise needed for new construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, and retaining walls
• The challenges of building roads in West Tennessee
• How limestone in the central basin of Middle Tennessee impacts roads
• East Tennessee’s challenging history of road construction
• The tunnels of Tennessee
• Why TDOT must work with nature and not against it
• The TVA Act and the rise of dam construction
• The origins of pothole formation
• How Tennessee’s rapidly changing weather impacts transportation

Links Referenced:

• Sequatchie Valley: https://sequatchievalleyscenicbyway.com/
• Tennessee Valley: https://www.loc.gov/item/2008628288/
• seven physiographic zones: https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/geologic-zones/
• Harry: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2019/07/16/east-tennessee-rockslides-expert-department-of-transportation-harry-moore/1706574001/
• highwaysee.com: https://highwaysee.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.