October 23, 2007
(Asheville, NC)-The 51.6-mile section of the
Blue Ridge Parkway between US Route 70 east of Asheville, NC at milepost 382.5 and NC Route 226 at milepost 330.9 Gillespie Gap will be temporarily detoured for tunnel repairs. This detour will be take effect on November 6, 2007, and will close the Parkway to all traffic from Milepost 355.3 (just south of the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park) to Milepost 364.5 (just north of the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center). The detour will begin for traffic traveling south at milepost 330.9, with the intersection of NC Route 226. Visitors should follow the detour signs along this route to I-40 West at Exit 86. They should take exit I-40 West at Exit 55 to US 70 West which will bring them back to the Parkway at milepost 382.5.
Visitors traveling north will begin the detour at milepost 382.5 at the intersection with US Route 70; follow the detour signs along US 70 East to the intersection of I-40 East and continue on I-40 East to Exit 86 where they will take NC Route 226 North which will return them to the Parkway at milepost 330.9 at Gillespie Gap. The total detour distance is approximately 47 miles.
Parkway officials said the closure will allow repairs to be made to the Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel at milepost 364.4. These repairs are estimated to take three months to complete. Officials emphasized that the scenic motor road will be open to Mount Mitchell State Park from the north only at milepost 330.9 as weather permits. Local traffic access to the Parkway from Ox Creek Road, milepost 375.2 and Town Mountain Road, milepost 377.4, as well as visitor access to the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center will remain available as weather permits; however no public access to the Parkway will be allowed south of the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park (MP 355.3) and north of the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center (MP 364.5) during tunnel repairs. They also noted that visitation to the Parkway is at its lowest levels in the winter, and the closure was scheduled to cause the least possible impact on public use and enjoyment of the scenic road.
The
Craggy Gardens Visitor Center is scheduled to remain open for seven day a week operation through November 4. Weekend only operation will begin on November 10 & 11, and will end on November 18. The visitor center will be closed for the season on November 19.
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