The tunnel was first proposed in 1835 by residents of Charleston, South Carolina as a new and shorter route for the Blue Ridge Railroad between Charleston and the Ohio River valley area which until then was only accessible by bypassing the mountains entirely to the South and then traveling up north through Georgia and middle Tennessee. In 1852, 13 miles of tunnel were proposed to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains through South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Tennessee.
The tunnel proposal originated in Charleston, South Carolina in 1835 as a shorter route for the Blue Ridge Railroad between Charleston and the Ohio River valley area.  In 1852, plans were made to construct a 13-mile tunnel through South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Tennessee, bypassing the mountains entirely.