A Growing City

A Growing City. Hemmed in by Rivers, Railroads, and Mountains. , Charleston's population tripled in the early 20th century to 67,914 residents by 1940. Rapid expansion brought serious growing pains, as ever-increasing numbers of cars, buses and trucks clogged city streets and created paralyzing gridlock. The Charleston Gazette described it as "a nasty, complicated local traffic situation, where a fast and solidly-growing city is hemmed in by two rivers, two railroads with many crossings, and the mountains, with 13 state arterial highways centering here in a hub.", In 1936, government and business leaders led by Mayor D. Boone Dawson proposed an innovative solution to Charleston's traffic woes. Officials called for a substantial upgrade of existing routes on either end of the city, connected in the middle with a bypass avoiding congested downtown routes. The West Side Business Men's Association played a significant role in developing the comprehensive plan that involved four separated projects: a four-lane connector from Dunbar to Kanawha Two-mile Creek (present 7th Avenue); a downtown riverfront parkway along historic pr Kanawha Street, abridge carrying the parkway over Elk River, and a four-ma lane upgrade of the Midland Trail Our (U.S. Route 60) east of Charleston., Together, the improvements would create a continuous 14-mile parkway from Dunbar on the west through the heart of Charleston to Malden on the east. Most importantly, it would move vehicles through the capital city more smoothly and put an end to notorious traffic jams., The downtown parkway and Elk River bridge phases required the removal of dozens of riverfront buildings, millions of tons of earthen fill to create a minimum 40-foot right-of-way, and enormous amounts of stone rip-rap to stabilize nearly five miles of Kanawha riverbank. Kanawha Boulevard, as the undertaking would be known, represented the most extensive civil engineering project in Charleston history., Downtown drivers endured paralyzing gridlock prior to construction of Kanawha Boulevard, as shown in this historic 1940s photo along Lee Street East.,

"Kanawha Boulevard…the most extensive civil engineering project in Charleston history."