Cladius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel

The Blue Ridge Tunnel (also known as the Claudius Crozet Tunnel), is an abandoned railroad tunnel in central Virginia. It was constructed from 1850-1853, but the first train did not pass through it until 1858. The tunnel was constructed from both sides, and was dig through solid granite using hand drills and black powder (dynamite had not yet been discovered). Amazingly, the tunnel was less than 6” off perfect alignment when the middle was reached!

When it was completed, the tunnel was the longest tunnel in the United States, and one of the longest in the world. It’s 4,237 ft long! The tunnel was constructed using a partial ellipse shape to allow for greater freight clearance while minimizing the amount of material that had to be removed.

The tunnel used from 1858 until 1944. At this time, a new tunnel was built adjacent to the existing tunnel to allow for larger trains. The original tunnel was abandoned and was reopened to pedestrians in 2020.