Editor's Note: This updates the number of miles remaining to be repaired from Hurricane Helene-inflicted damage.
LAUREL SPRINGS, North Carolina — Seven more miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina that had been closed for almost a year due to damage from Hurricane Helene have reopened.
The reopened stretch runs from milepost 241.1, just south of Doughton Park and The Bluffs restaurant, to milepost 248.1, at NC 18 near Laurel Springs. Opening this road section signifies the completion of another section in a 75-mile road reconstruction project underway in northwest North Carolina.
Work related to this major infrastructure project continues from milepost 261.2 to 280.9, with a signed detour in place in the area, routing traffic onto US 221, US 421, and Old 421 S before accessing the Parkway again near Parkway Elementary School. Work in this section is planned to be completed later this fall. The multi-year project is expected to be complete during the 2026 visitor season, including additional full rehabilitation repairs needed from milepost 291.8 to milepost 305.1, near Grandfather Mountain.
With the addition of those seven miles, roughly 58 more miles of the scenic parkway in North Carolina remain closed due to damage from the hurricane, according to spokesperson Leesa Brandon. The parkway also has another 31 miles closed due to projects funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, she said in an email.
The hurricane, which came ashore in Florida near midnight on September 26, rampaged 600 miles north through the Carolinas. Flooding, power outages, and downed trees were among the calling cards the storm tossed about, but as National Park Service crews managed to get back on the ground after the storm passed they found tens of thousands of downed trees littering roadways and forests, landslides, mudslides, undercut roads.
Dozens of landslides along the North Carolina portion of the parkway forced its closure. Since then, though, the Park Service steadily has worked to clear the trees, mud, and debris, and rebuild damaged sections of road.
Funding for this project comes from the Great American Outdoors Act’s (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund. GAOA is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance and repair backlog in national parks. Supported by revenue from energy development, the fund provided up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is slated to receive more than $200 million from GAOA’s Legacy Restoration Fund for multiple projects to address long-needed infrastructure improvements that will improve the visitor experience for a park that welcomed 16.7 million visitors in 2024.
Visitors should plan carefully for any trip along the parkway and consult the park’s website for a wide variety of planning tools. The park’s website provides extensive information, including current road status, multiple regional maps, and other helpful information.
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