ROANOKE, Va. – Work is starting this week to repair a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke in time for the busy fall season.
Crews are working on a slope failure that caused the parkway to close from the Explore Park Entrance (milepost 115.5) to U.S. 220 (milepost 121.4). The work will be completed under a full parkway closure. Officials with the National Park Service (NPS) said it will take about 10 days.
This nearly $140,000 repair is a temporary fix that will allow traffic to move safely in both directions.
Despite the challenges of finding funding and the COVID-19 pandemic, a Parkway spokesperson said the time it’s taken to get to this point is not uncommon, especially given the process involved in designing and contracting out the job.
“We just hope people can stay patient with us as we work through all of those details," said Caitlin Worth, a National Park Service Spokesperson for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
NPS officials said the road south of U.S. 220 (milepost 121.4) to Adney Gap (milepost 135.9) will remain closed to all drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
In May, heavy rain created multiple road hazards that prompted the road to be closed from milepost 112.4 to milepost 135.9, from U.S. Route 24 to Adney Gap. Since then, the section from milepost 112.4 to 115.5, at the Explore Park entrance, has reopened and remains open.
NPS officials said the largest hazard is a full road failure roughly 150 feet in length near milepost 128. They said it will force a road closure of at least 12 to 18 months.
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