The Tunnel to Nowhere

After the TVA built a large dam downstream, one of the main roads that connected a remote town to the rest of the world was submerged. Four other villages were submerged as the reservoir formed, and the road that was used to access many remote cemeteries was flooded. A replacement road was under construction, but after many delays and years of debate, the plan was abandoned in 1971 after construction workers unearthed a type of rock that releases sulfuric acid when exposed to the atmosphere.

As of 2010, all hope of completing the road was lost when the Department of the Interior granted a cash lump sum to the county as a settlement to the debate that has raged since 1943. Today, the tunnel and the road leading to it remain, waiting patiently for the promise of completion and relevancy.