The National Park Service says a 10-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina mountains will be shut down for almost two years to allow workers to complete a bridge replacement project.
The park service says work has begun on the $29 million project to replace the Laurel Fork Bridge in Ashe County, according to a park service news release. A full closure to all uses including vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists will be in place between milepost 248.1 and 249.3.
A signed detour will direct travelers around the closure between milepost 248.1 and 258.7, routing park visitors around the project site via route(s) NC-18, NC-88, NC-16 and Trading Post Road at Glendale Springs, N.C. A full closure to all uses including vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists will be in place between milepost 248.1 and 249.3. The park service says the project is scheduled for completion in November 2024.
The Roanoke section of the Parkway, from US-220 to Adney Gap, mileposts 121.4-135.9, is fully closed to all visitors and recreation of any kind due to heavy equipment and contractors working in the area.
The detour in place will take drivers from VA Route 24 at Washington Avenue to Adney Gap at US-221.
The Roanoke River Bridge project at milepost 114.7 is slated to finish this month; the bridge has been closed since last summer.
