Outlined area showing Roanoke slide detour, Blue Ridge Parkway / NPS

National Park Service officials today announced the project completion date for a Roanoke slope repair project underway at milepost 127.9 on the Blue Ridge Parkway has been extended into spring 2023. The unanticipated extension is due to the discovery of a failed culvert in the fill slope that requires full replacement. Once available, the 130-foot pipe will be installed, headwalls and drainage elements completed, and the pavement installed when temperatures allow.  

The full closure from milepost 121.4 to milepost 136 and signed detour (graphically depicted above) around the project, from US 220 (mp 121.4) to Adney Gap at US 221 (mp 136), will remain in-place until the work is completed.  Behind the gates, the Parkway is closed to all uses including motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. The public’s cooperation with these closures helps support the safety of staff, visitors, and the contractor.    

A spring 2020 storm resulted in a full road failure roughly one hundred and fifty feet (150') in length at Milepost 127.9. Geotechnical and roadway experts designed and planned a series of repairs for this emergency project, including installation of soil anchors and reconstruction of the fill slope, to stabilize the area and restore safe access. This summer, slope reconstruction has progressed to near road elevation.