The engineers evaluated a total of 23 possible routes across the mountain, which they narrowed down to six preferred candidates, three in tunnels and three exposed as cuts. 7 years later, at a cost of $19 million, the cut was completed and open for traffic. In 1994, the Red Mountain Museum moved from its mountainside location to downtown Birmingham after it partnered with a nearby children’s science museum, the Discovery Place, to form Discovery 2000, Inc. The project removed around 2 million cubic yards of Red Mountain. The Cut itself is owned by the Alabama Department of Transportation. Red Mountain Expressway Cut. Together they moved to downtown Birmingham in 1998 and became the McWane Science Center. The Landmark designation reads: The Red Mountain Expressway Cut exhibits an unusual combination of stratigraphic and structural features that record the geological development of this part of the Southern Appalachian fold belt during Paleozoic time. The strata exposed by the cut were formed over 160 million years of geologic time. Main article: Red Mountain Expressway Cut. The project removed around two million cubic yards of the Red Mountain ridge, which exposed over 190 million years of geologic strata dating back over 500 million years. See 1 tip from 162 visitors to Red Mountain Expressway Cut Interpretive Walkway. The cities of Birmingham, Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills subsidized the study along with the County Commission and Alabama State Highway Department. Some articles on red mountain, mountain, mountains: List Of National Natural Landmarks In Alabama Red Mountain Expressway Cut 01987-11-01November 1987 Birmingham Jefferson Part of Red Mountain Park, this expressway cut through Red Mountain and … The result was a 210-foot-deep, 1,640-foot-long highway cut created through Red Mountain, later renamed the Elton B. Stephens Expressway. The Cut is one of seven National Natural Landmarks in Alabama. And exposed 190 million … It has spurred suburban growth towards the south of … Red Mountain Expressway Cut ← Back to listing of NNL sites in AL. ", Coman, Victoria L. (May 15, 2007) "Vote on selling museum site to St. Cecilia nuns expected.". (April 23, 2006) "McWane eyes Red Mountain path revival: Cut near old museum site puts rock history on display. - Significance: The Red Mountain Expressway Cut through Red Mountain is designated as a National Natural Landmark by the United States Department of Interior and as a National Site of Geological Interest by the American Geological Institute. The strata exposed by the cut were formed over 160 million years of geologic time. Contact Between Mississippian Chert (top) and Silurian Sandstone (bottom) (5334204190).jpg 1,069 × 1,600; 586 KB The city would retain the small neighborhood park adjacent to the museum, and the locked access to the Red Mountain cut walkway. In 1991, the Red Mountain Museum partnered with a nearby children's science museum, The Discovery Place, to form "Discovery 2000". The project represented the latest in a series of proposals to create a Red Mountain Tunnel through the ridge to connect Birmingham to Homewood and other new residential areas to the South. An emergency appeal to Governor George Wallace led to a reversal of plans to cover the cut face. Red Mountain Expressway Cut, a National Natural Landmark in Alabama. The impetus for the museum grew out of the protests of geologists from the Geological Survey of Alabama, Birmingham-Southern College, and the Alabama Geological Society, who, with the support of the Linn-Henley Charitable Trust, convinced the Highway department to stop spraying concrete over the exposed rock strata. A new city-owned science museum, The Red Mountain Museum, was opened on the slope adjacent to the cut in February 1978. The expressway was planned as a six-lane limited-access highway to accommodate anticipated traffic demand for 1980 (29,400 cars and 990 heavy trucks per day). Proceeds from the sale will be directed to the McWane Science Center. In 1987 the Red Mountain Expressway Cut was granted National Natural Landmark status by the National Park Service. "Don't be here Monday through Friday from 4-5pm." Sponsors: BCBS | Alabama Power Foundation | 3M | Freshwater Land Trust | Stephens Foundation | Cawaco RC&D, © 2011–2020 TREK BIRMINGHAM | Due to high cost and time, engineers discarded a proposal to create a tunnel through the red ore and instead built the Red Mountain Expressway Cut, which exposes geological strata that spans millions of years. The strata exposed by the cut were formed over 160 million years of geologic time. The Red Mountain cut is a 210-foot-deep, 1,640-foot-long highway cut created through Red Mountain for the Red Mountain expressway, an extension of Highway 31 and Highway 280 into downtown Birmingham. ← Back to listing of all states and territories. The walkway, terraced into the rock, included interpretive signage, guardrails, and fencing that allowed visitors to safely inspect the various strata of 190 million years of exposed rock. The Red Mountain Museum was established in 1971 adjacent to the east side of the cut on Arlington Road. In 2006 McWane president Tim Ritchie and staff paleontologist James Lamb discussed the possibility of selling the former Red Mountain Museum property, but keeping a public access to the walkway, which could be renovated and reopened. #1 Red Mountain Expressway Cut Park Updated: 2019-03-20 The Red Mountain Expressway Cut, also known as the Red Mountain Geological Cut, is a section of Red Mountain that was blasted and removed in the 1960s to allow the Red Mountain Expressway to enter downtown Birmingham, Alabama. a portion of the Red Mountain Cut In 1970, the "Red Mountain Expressway" was completed after many years of work cutting through Red Mountain. Special features include caves, volcanic ash layers, the Red Mountain fault line, prehistoric reefs and beaches, fossils and fossil tracks. Please remember, National Natural Landmarks (NNLs) are not national parks. A group of geologists associated with UAB visited the newly-exposed rock strata during the late stages of construction, measuring geologic layers. Kirkup (excluded for 20/21 season). The Red Mountain Expressway Cut exhibits an unusual combination of stratigraphic and structural features that record the geological development of this part of the Southern Appalachian fold belt during Paleozoic time. Discover places to visit and explore on Bing Maps, like Red Mountain Expressway Cut Alabama. Birmingham Downtown Improvement Association, Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia Congregation, 11½ million Red Mtn. This highway linked Birmingham with its southern suburbs and spurred suburban growth towards the south of Birmingham. The Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Mississippian geologic periods are visible in the cut. Login to your Triposo account. The others are along Interstate 70 near Denver, Colorado and Interstate 68 in western Maryland. 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