ROANOKE, Va. – Big improvements are coming to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s getting about $75 million in Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Funding for major road and safety improvements along the park’s corridor in Roanoke.
“The three-year repaving and rehabilitation project in America’s most visited national park will improve the condition of 24 miles of the Parkway from milepost 97 at Blackhorse Gap (south of Peaks of Otter) to milepost 121 near US 220 in Roanoke,” according to a statement.
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The project includes slope stabilization, road resurfacing, and repair or replacement of drainage structures, curbs, walks, shoulders, guardrails, stone walls, overlooks, pavement markings, and signage.
A spokesperson told 10 News the Roanoke mountain closure is not part of this project. Roanoke Mountain Road has been off-limits to cars since the remnants of Hurricane Michael hovered over the parkway in late 2018.
The design efforts are currently underway and include development of construction timelines and detour locations.
- This year, they say you can expect short, single-lane closures for survey and design work, with possible full-closures implemented later in the year.
- Full road closures for construction are most likely to happen in 2025-2026.
According to the National Park Service, the project will be done in phases with a staggered series of lane and road closures allowing for continuous access to key intersections and amenities within the project limits, including the Explore Park entrance.
Once full closures are announced, maps and detour information will be available and updated on the park’s website.
“Generations of park visitors and local residents have treasured memories of their Blue Ridge Parkway experiences, both inside the park and out in our neighboring communities,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout. “We know how important the Parkway is to these communities. The historic investments at work with these critical infrastructure repairs allow the Parkway to continue to serve as an economic and tourism driver for generations to come.”
GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance and repair backlog in national parks. Including this project, the Blue Ridge Parkway is slated to receive more than $200 million from GAOA for multiple projects to address long-needed infrastructure improvements.
16.8 million people visited the parkway in 2023.