Because of the now projected path of Hurricane Ivan into the southern Appalachians, additional sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina will be closed early Thursday evening, September 16th.
These include the sections between Bull Gap (milepost 375) near Asheville and Mount Mitchell State Park, from NC Highway 191 (mile 393) to NC 151 (mile 405) near Mount Pisgah, and from mile 412 at US Highway 276 to mile 469 at Cherokee. Campgrounds in North Carolina will also close Friday afternoon, September 17th.
Superintendent Daniel W. Brown said that rangers and maintenance staff will monitor storm impacts, and gated sections and closed facilities will reopen as soon as conditions permit. The anticipated high winds and the heavy rain, which may persist through Sunday, come little more than a week after the remnants of Hurricane Frances dumped up to 20 inches of rain in some sections of western North Carolina and caused major rockslides and mudslides that took out several high elevation sections of the scenic road and created continuing closures.
Closures are as follows:
In North Carolina, Milepost 317-408 and Milepost 412-469. In Virginia, the Parkway is closed from Milepost 0-61, Milepost 66-86, and Milepost 91-136.
All Blue Ridge Parkway campgrounds, except for the Peaks of Otter, are being closed today. All picnic areas, except for those at Peaks of Otter and Humpback Rocks north of Roanoke, are also being closed.
The Parkway across the valley at Asheville remains open, and access to the Little Switzerland community is still available from NC 226. The Pisgah Inn and restaurant will remain open, but food and guest services will be limited. Access is to that facility is available from NC 151 and US 276. All other sections of the 469-mile Parkway remain open, although other facilities and road sections will be closed if storm conditions warrant.
Brown noted that the new closings are “precautionary and, hopefully, temporary. These sections of the Parkway are more subject to slides during heavy rain events, and the expected strong winds, coupled with the already saturated ground, could create tree-falls that would endanger motorists and campers.”
For current information on road conditions, call the Blue Ridge Parkway information line at (828) 298-0398
