Paving work begins on the Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway will resurface more than 65 miles of pavement between Asheville and Cherokee this summer, with work beginning in mid-May and lasting through September.
Work locations will change weekly within the 65-mile project area, and visitors in active work zones should expect single-lane closures and delays. Work will progress from north to south and include some paved roadside pullouts and parking areas.
Areas include: milepost 359.1 to 365.6 north of Asheville in the Mount Mitchell and Craggy Gardens area; milepost 393.6 to 412.8 south of Asheville through the Mount Pisgah area; and milepost 424 to 469, south of Devils Courthouse to the Parkway’s southern terminus. Work will be done in 3-to-5-mile sections.
Pavement preservation is becoming a regular road maintenance strategy in national parks. Studies find that for each dollar spent on pavement preservation between $6 and $10 in future pavement rehabilitation costs are saved. Funding for road maintenance in national parks, including the Parkway, comes in large part from the Highway Trust Fund, which is derived from a federal gas tax managed by the Federal Highway Administration.
Closure status is updated in real time at https://bit.ly/2lZptto.
