Natchez Trace Parkway: Double Arch Bridge
The first place to stop along the Natchez Trace Parkway if you are coming from Nashville is the Double Arch Bridge, which is 8.7 miles from the beginning, if it helps to keep track. This is basically a photo op, with stunning views, but the bridge itself has an interesting story.
It was completed in 1994, and In 1995, under President Bill Clinton, this bridge was awarded a Presidential Design Award. These awards are a way to reward excellence in design and are administered by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the US General Services Administration (GSA). The first awards were given in 1985 and other winners include Grand Central Terminal in New York City and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D. C. This is a highly competitive award, and the year the bridge won there were 420 entries. Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President Al Gore, presented the award to to Wendell Simpson, the Natchez Trace Parkway Superintendent. In addition to this award, the bridge won second place in a design competition run by the American Association of Civil Engineers.
The bridge cost twelve million dollars to build and was the “first precast segmental arch bridge built in the United States and was a cooperative effort between the National Park Service, Federal Highway Administration, and Figg Engineering” (link to Daily Journal article).
The Double Arch Bridge was designed with the parking lot and viewing area at the north end because they were afraid that visitors would try to stop their cars on the bridge and get out to see the view. The view is stunning, as the bridge is 155 feet above the valley and is 1648 feet long, spanning Birdsong Hollow, which is the next stop along the Parkway. On the south end, there’s a place to exit and drive down the hill on highway 96 and look up at the bridge. The arches are supposed to imitate the terrain in the area, which has lots of rolling hills, so it really does feel like an integrated part of the landscape. Make sure you stop and take a look at this fantastic view if you drive the Natchez Trace Parkway!
