Visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway can now drive through the High Country without encountering closed sections.
Some stretches had been shuttered for scheduled maintenance. There were concerns they might remain closed due to the government shutdown.
It’s taken some citizen involvement to navigate the reopening, says David Jackson, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
He says some federal workers who normally provide updates have been furloughed. That left the job to local residents.
“So this, this was a little bit of a citizen investigative method of having people driving on the parkway and reporting, yes, this section is open, yes, this barricade is down,” he says.
They confirmed that the scenic drive is open from Virginia down to Linville Falls without interruption. Jackson says that’s good news for the region’s fall tourism economy.
Recently reopened areas include a section of the parkway that connects to U.S. 421 in Watauga County.
Jackson says some of the overlooks have been refurbished as well.
“To get such a critical section of the parkway open during peak leaf time is a blessing that we were not necessarily counting on,” he says.
Portions of the parkway between Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain had been scheduled to close for renovations this fall.
That plan was put on hold after local stakeholders made the case in the spring that the closures would hurt the area’s economy as it rebounds from Helene.