Asheville corridor on the Blue Ridge Parkway prior to clean up.
Asheville corridor on the Blue Ridge Parkway prior to clean up. Credit: NPS

11 more miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway within the Asheville corridor have reopened following hurricane relief efforts. The section ranges from milepost 382.5 at US 70 near the Folk Art Center to milepost 393.6 at NC Route 191 near the NC Arboretum and includes the French Broad Overlook at milepost 393.8.

Timelapse drive of Blue Ridge Parkway

The Asheville Visitor Center at milepost 384 will resume its usual 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m daily operations, while the Folk Art Center at milepost 382 will resume operations starting on November 9. Areas north and south of the now open 11-mile road segment remain closed with no projected opening date.

“With today’s opening, we have now restored access to over 310 miles of the Parkway. 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.” – Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout

Conditions on park roads and trails are expected to continue to change in the wake of Hurricane Helene. More than 350,000 cubic feet of storm debris from the 11-mile road segment have been removed by National Park Service staff and contractors since the storm, an amount of woody debris that could fill almost 150 shipping containers.  

Though many trails along the Parkway, including those in the 11 mile section, are now open, guests are encouraged to proceed with extreme caution. Landslides, downed or leaning trees, washouts, and other damage may have create hazards along the trails.

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