NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The primary scenic artery through the North Carolina mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway will remain closed through the entire state indefinitely, the National Park Service reported Wednesday.
The closure effects the road from milepost 271 near the Great Smoky Mountains to 469 at the Virginia State Line. It comes right as the region – and road – typically sees a boom in usage as weather cools and the leaves change colors.
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National parks officials said the closure will occur as crews continue their initial assessment of the damage from Hurricane Helene.
NPS has deployed its Eastern Incident Management Team, which brings specialized skills and resources to support the parkway with employee emergency needs, emergency stabilization of affected park resources, and damage assessments.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 99 National Park Service employees from 22 states and the District of Columbia are working with Parkway staff in the recovery efforts.
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There is no date for reopening any parts of the road.
Initially, two sections of the Parkway were closed ahead of the storm, but the full length was shut down on Saturday.
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