Tweet
Sunken Road begins a trip back in time
June 19, 2004 1:12 am
Park Service to restore city Civil War site The National Park Service will begin construction in mid-July on a plan nearly 30 years in the making to restore historic Sunken Road to its Civil War appearance.
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park officials met with a dozen area residents Thursday evening at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center to unveil final plans for the project and announce tentative construction dates.
Workers will transform the asphalt road surface and surrounding landscape to look as it did in December 1862 during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
"The more that we can do to help people understand and appreciate what happened here, the better," said Russ Smith, superintendent of the park, which commemorates four major battles in the region.
Other major parts of the project include creating walking paths, marking house sites and reconstructing the missing pieces of the stone wall that runs along Sunken Road.
Construction will occur in two phases, said John Hennessy, chief historian and interpreter for the park.
Phase one includes work on the wall and walking paths. It should take two to three months to complete.
The second phase involves work on the road itself. Park officials estimate that it will be finished by the beginning of tourist season in the spring.
Once construction begins in July, Sunken Road will be closed to traffic permanently.
Adjacent roads--Willis, Mercer and Kirkland streets--will undergo changes also.
Mercer Street will be narrowed as it approaches Sunken Road, while handicapped parking and a trolley stop will be added to Willis Street. Kirkland Street also will be narrowed as it approaches the park.
The Park Service owns all but two residences on the west side of Willis Street, which connects to the park.
Some area residents have expressed concern about closing Sunken and tourist traffic on Willis Street, but most at the meeting accepted the plan.
Carl Zirkle, the owner of one of those houses, is in favor of the project.
"This is an important site, and the Park Service is treating it respectfully," he said. "A lot of people died here, so it's worth remembering."
Spotsylvania County resident Robert Hester, 28, is also a strong supporter of the restoration project.
"I think anytime we can save and preserve a place where people died for ideas and freedoms, it should be done," he said.
Located below Marye's Heights, Sunken Road was the focal point of a failed Union attack led by Gen. Ambrose Burnside on Dec. 13, 1862.
The Confederate forces, though outnumbered nearly 2 to 1, used the rutted Sunken Road and the stone wall as protective shields to fight off the assault and send Union troops into retreat.
June 19, 2004 1:12 am
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park officials met with a dozen area residents Thursday evening at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center to unveil final plans for the project and announce tentative construction dates.
Workers will transform the asphalt road surface and surrounding landscape to look as it did in December 1862 during the Battle of Fredericksburg.
"The more that we can do to help people understand and appreciate what happened here, the better," said Russ Smith, superintendent of the park, which commemorates four major battles in the region.
Other major parts of the project include creating walking paths, marking house sites and reconstructing the missing pieces of the stone wall that runs along Sunken Road.
Construction will occur in two phases, said John Hennessy, chief historian and interpreter for the park.
Phase one includes work on the wall and walking paths. It should take two to three months to complete.
The second phase involves work on the road itself. Park officials estimate that it will be finished by the beginning of tourist season in the spring.
Once construction begins in July, Sunken Road will be closed to traffic permanently.
Adjacent roads--Willis, Mercer and Kirkland streets--will undergo changes also.
Mercer Street will be narrowed as it approaches Sunken Road, while handicapped parking and a trolley stop will be added to Willis Street. Kirkland Street also will be narrowed as it approaches the park.
The Park Service owns all but two residences on the west side of Willis Street, which connects to the park.
Some area residents have expressed concern about closing Sunken and tourist traffic on Willis Street, but most at the meeting accepted the plan.
Carl Zirkle, the owner of one of those houses, is in favor of the project.
"This is an important site, and the Park Service is treating it respectfully," he said. "A lot of people died here, so it's worth remembering."
Spotsylvania County resident Robert Hester, 28, is also a strong supporter of the restoration project.
"I think anytime we can save and preserve a place where people died for ideas and freedoms, it should be done," he said.
Located below Marye's Heights, Sunken Road was the focal point of a failed Union attack led by Gen. Ambrose Burnside on Dec. 13, 1862.
The Confederate forces, though outnumbered nearly 2 to 1, used the rutted Sunken Road and the stone wall as protective shields to fight off the assault and send Union troops into retreat.