ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway remains shutdown in the wake of large-scale damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
The parkway first shut down on Sept. 29 after Hurricane Helene decimated western North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway suffered "significant, and in some cases catastrophic" damage, National Park Service authorities said.
Most of the work remains in the North Carolina segment of the parkway, where NPS crews have come across "tens of thousands of trees across the roadway and nearly three dozen rock and mud slides."
The damage done to the Virginia part of the parkway is less severe, NPS said, but work still remains to clear trees and brush there.
Due to the lighter impacts there, NPS is aiming to reopen most of the parkway in Virginia in phases within the next week, they said. They do not yet have an estimate for the North Carolina segment as assessments are still being completed of the extent of damage.
In the meantime, NPS urges the public to not enter the closed regions of the parkway in any manner, as some damage has yet to be identified. Additionally, hazards like fragile roadways or hanging limbs may not be immediately noticeable.
“The damage left behind by the storm has created dangerous conditions, some of which are not immediately visible from the road itself,” said Tracy Swartout, superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway. “We thank the public for their cooperation in respecting closures for their safety and to allow crews to complete their work.”
