The Green Mountain Parkway

In the midst of the Great Depression, a unique and spectacular highway project was proposed for the length of Vermont and one of its “interchanges” was going to be the base of Okemo Mountain.

The year was 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt established a series of mega economic stimulus packages through the formation of the WPA (Works Progress Administration).  Huge dams, long bridges, levees and highways were proposed as a means of providing employment and getting needed infrastructure improvements underway.

On of these highway projects was the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway located in western Virginia.  It proved to be so successful in that impoverished region that the Roosevelt administration proposed the same type of scenic roadway for the entire south to north spine of the Green Mountains.

The Green Mountain Parkway seemed as first to be a slam dunk project, an outright gift to the people of Vermont to enhance tourism and bring outside money to the state, except the voters of Vermont rejected the project in its entirety.

From 1934 to 1935, the Vermont Legislature debated the merits of the roadway…would it split the state in two?  Was it creeping socialism?  Was it outright charity?

In March 1935, approval of the Parkway construction passed the Vermont Senate with the caveat that it must be endorsed by a citizen’s referendum to be decided on March 3, 1936.  The total was 30,897 for construction, and 42,318 against construction.  The WPA officials couldn’t believe it!

The state did agree to use federal money of sorts to improve a series of linking roads that came to be Routes 8 and 100 that follow the general course that the Parkway would have taken.  Of course, those roads already existed but only as gravel ‘town roads’.  The main difference between Route 100 and the proposed Green Mountain Parkway was that the Parkway would be built at a higher elevation where possible to enhance scenic views. 

A detailed construction plan I once had the pleasure to look at showed the highway coming north from Weston along Route 66, and flanking the south slope of Okemo Mountain about where the Sugar House restaurant is located before heading to points north.

It could have been a nice Friday night ride to the slopes don’t you think?

Contributed by Bruce McEnaney

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