In civil engineering the term 'cut' refers to a place where "soil or rock material from a hill or mountain is cut out to make way for a canal, road or railway." Generally cuts are created because the alternative of finding a way over or around the natural obstacle is too costly or not practical. Created by blasting through the rock or excavating - depending upon the size and type of soil - cuts typically provide mild grade changes that are easier for boats, vehicles and trains to climb, versus their previous alternative.
Back in the late 20's and 30's, when Route 66 was the main East/West byway for travelers and commercial truckers between Chicago and Los Angeles, there existed a spot near Hooker, MO (yes, an unfortunate name) where many truckers would have to pick up a lot of speed coming down 66 in order to get up the steep hill into Devils Elbow.
When construction of Ft. Leonard Wood began in 1940, a truck loaded down with an airplane got stuck at the bottom of the hill. It took the trucker all day to make it to the top. When he finally got into Devils Elbow he stopped at the Elbow Inn (then known as the Munger Moss Sandwich Shop), undoubtedly ordered a sandwich and a beer, and regaled the locals with his tale of the mountain climb.
Shortly thereafter highway and military officials deemed it necessary to realign Route 66 in order to allow for easier travel and movement of supplies. The decision was made to cut through the foothill just east of Devils Elbow and west of Hooker which locals called "Lookout Mountain."
After three years of work Hooker Cut was finished in 1943, the first four-lane portion of Route 66 east of Springfield, MO. At its completion it was considered "one of the deepest rock cuts in the U.S.," with Jack Rittenhouse describing it as "an engineering triumph, and truly a joy to the traveler," in his 1946 A Guide Book to Highway 66.
Today the route is slightly overgrown and not as well traveled as it was nearly 70 years ago. But the lines in the rock where the explosives were laid tell a story in America's civil engineering history, setting the stage for amazing feats the likes of Sideling Hill in Maryland, and the Pikeville Cut-Through in Kentucky.
It's funny how often we take things for granted. The Hooker Cut took years to come to fruition, allowing travelers an easier and faster means of getting through the portion of Route 66 that ran through Pulaski County. In turn, it took decades to construct the interstate highways that overtook Route 66 and made the Hooker Cut and the "mother road" nearly obsolete.
Today we drive along freeways, never paying much mind as to what is below us or around us. We forget how much time, energy and money it took to make our lives so much easier, thanks to the engineers and contractors who connected our country through a complex road system that serves as the circulatory system of America.
So, the next time you're out - be it on a short trip to the grocery store or road trip for a family vacation - take a moment to realize that you're driving on highways and routes which, combined, make up the largest public works projects in history.
References:
Hooker Cut History
Hooker Cut Postcards
Route 66 Information
Interstate Highway System
Civil Engineering - Cuts
No comments:
Post a Comment