A major infrastructure project on the Blue Ridge Parkway will lead to some delays and closures for the next three years.
The repaving and rehabilitation project covers a 75-mile section of the parkway in North Carolina, and will impact areas that include major attractions such as Grandfather Mountain, the Northwest Trading Post, and the Bluffs Restaurant in Doughton Park. Access will remain open at all attractions, but getting there may be a bit tricky.
Officials say travelers should expect short-distance single-lane closures, with some full closures set to begin later this month.
Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon says visitors should plan ahead by checking online for real-time updates, and expect to encounter the occasional detour.
Brandon acknowledges there will be visitor impacts but adds that those detours can actually enhance the parkway experience.
"I would say enjoy the detour and learn about some of the things that you might not have experienced otherwise in some of those local communities," says Brandon.
Brandon urges travelers to take a long view of what she calls a historic investment in the park.
"See it as an opportunity to care for this place that we all love an awful lot, and be patient," says Brandon.
The three-year, $98 million project is being funded by the federal Great American Outdoors Act.