Stunning Blue Ridge Parkway continues to stay shut following severe damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
"The entire stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia is currently shut down as workers carry on evaluating the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as shared by NPS spokesperson Mike Litterst to CNN.
Personnel from various NPS departments across 32 states and Washington D.C. are engaged in recovery operations, as per Litterst's statement.
"From our initial assessments, prevalent and in some instances, devastating damage has taken place along the parkway, notably between milepost 280 and 469," Litterst explained further.
The teams on-site will determine the extent of this damage, which will also include an estimated timeline and repair costs.
Regarding the prospective reopening of any section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, Litterst mentioned that no specific date has been finalized yet; the teams are still wrapping up their tasks in Virginia.
Images released by the spokesperson depicted fallen trees and a road collapse near Gooch Gap.
The Blue Ridge Parkway occurred as the top visited NPS location in 2023, boasting an impressive 16.75 million visits, as reported earlier by CNN."
Despite the closure affecting us, the National Park Service is diligently working to assess and repair the damage along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway this year may need to be postponed until the necessary repairs are completed.
