King of the mountain

摘要

Who would have thought the Missing Link would be found in Tennessee? The Missing Link, in this case, is a 1.6-mile portion of the Foothills Parkway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Commissioned by Congress in 1944 as a 72-mile scenic route, the Foothills Parkway remains unfinished today, with only 22.6 miles completed. It is the oldest unfinished highway project in the state of Tennessee. More specifically, the Missing Link is in Section 8E, a 9.7-mile portion of the Foothills Parkway that is nearly complete. Ten bridges make up the Missing Link. Bridge No. 2 is the largest span in the section, with a series of reverse curves that cut through some of the steepest terrain-vertical grades range from 6.75% to 8.02%.