ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — About 11 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Asheville corridor reopened Wednesday.
The 469-mile-long road was closed after the remnants of Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in late September. In the weeks since, crews have worked on the road, trails and buildings.
On Wednesday morning, Nov. 6, 2024, the National Park Service restored access to about 11 miles of the parkway from milepost 382.5, at U.S. 70 near the Folk Art Center, to milepost 393.6, at N.C. Route 191 near the North Carolina Arboretum, including the French Broad Overlook at milepost 393.8.
The Asheville Visitor Center, at milepost 384, will resume year-round operations from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Folk Art Center operations, at milepost 382, are scheduled to resume Saturday, Nov. 9.
Trails in this section of the parkway are also open. Still, extreme caution is advised for users who may experience hazards resulting from landslides, downed or leaning trees, washouts and other damage.
Visitors are asked to avoid parking on the roadside in any spot other than official, paved parking areas, as heavy equipment is still active in the area.
Since storm recovery began, National Park Service staff and contractors have moved more than 350,000 cubic feet of storm debris from this 11-mile road segment, officials said in a news release. This volume of woody debris could fill nearly 150 shipping containers.
The National Park Service does not have projected opening dates for areas of the parkway immediately north and south of the 11-mile road segment that opened Wednesday. Ongoing roadway and roadside damage evaluations, significant debris removal and miles of technical hazard tree work remain north of U.S. 70 and south of State Route 191, the news release said. The NPS will provide updates on those sections when additional information is available.
“With today’s opening, we have now restored access to over 310 miles of the parkway,” Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said in the news release. “Incident teams and contractors have been working on this section for over a month, with large numbers of damaged trees, vast amounts of tree debris in the roadway, and heavy equipment at work simultaneously throughout the corridor. I am grateful for everyone involved in the effort to reopen this critical section of the parkway.”
Because of the severity of the storm, conditions on park roads and trails are expected to continue to change in the next weeks and months. Visitors should plan carefully and share travel plans with others in advance. For safety reasons, the park asks that people continue to respect all closures. Current known conditions and updates about the parkway are online.