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One of the original ideas proposed for linking
Birmingham to its southern neighbors was the Red Mountain Tunnel project. This was seriously considered by the city and state highway engineers. Two alternate routes were proposed, one starting at 18th Street and the other from 22nd Street. Eventually
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The resultant cut exposes geological strata spanning millions of years (150 million years of geological time within 650 feet or 200 metres of exposure), including the red ore seam that spurred
Birmingham's development. A new species of Lower Silurian (middle
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the tunnel idea was abandoned due to its high cost and extended amount of time it would have taken. The Red
Mountain Expressway Cut was built instead.
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Red
Mountain Cut National Natural Landmark, U.S. 280 at Red Mountain, Birmingham, Jefferson County, AL
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371:", 2 photos, 8 data pages, 1 photo caption page
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175:. This highway links Birmingham with its southern suburbs of
191:(US 31) to the south (the Montgomery Highway) and
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that was blasted and removed in the 1960s to allow the
336:"Tunnel Board Pondering Two Routes Under Red Mountain"
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Looking east across the Red
Mountain Expressway Cut.
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280:. National Park Service. p. 1. Archived from
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400:Historic American Engineering Record in Alabama
312:, a new lower Silurian trilobite from Alabama"
275:"National Registry of Natural Landmarks"
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410:Transportation in Birmingham, Alabama
405:National Natural Landmarks in Alabama
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365:Historic American Engineering Record
273:National Natural Landmarks Program.
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395:Geography of Birmingham, Alabama
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131:U.S. National Natural Landmark
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385:Freeways in the United States
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306:Norford, B. S. (May 1972).
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221:was published in May 1972.
161:Red Mountain Geological Cut
157:Red Mountain Expressway Cut
19:Red Mountain Expressway Cut
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230:National Natural Landmark
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367:(HAER) No. AL-85, "
317:Journal of Paleontology
169:Red Mountain Expressway
310:Acaste birminghamensis
120:8 acres (3.2 ha)
159:, also known as the
251:Birmingham District
173:Birmingham, Alabama
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72:Birmingham, Alabama
390:Geology of Alabama
195:to the southeast.
189:U.S. Route 31
171:to enter downtown
163:, is a section of
228:was designated a
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101:33.496°N 86.788°W
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342:. February 1947
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236:Proposed tunnel
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344:. Retrieved
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289:. Retrieved
282:the original
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165:Red Mountain
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346:October 26,
193:US 280
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79:Coordinates
379:Categories
257:References
138:Designated
92:86°47′17″W
89:33°29′46″N
232:in 1987.
208:trilobite
205:phacopsid
291:7 August
245:See also
177:Homewood
68:Location
219:species
58:Alabama
56:Map of
213:Acaste
183:, and
285:(PDF)
278:(PDF)
348:2012
293:2011
224:The
155:The
141:1987
117:Area
226:cut
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265:^
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