Once a steep hillside giving way, the rock slide is now being reshaped into a more gradual slope near milepost 400 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
My July 4th holiday was one of those exquisite weekends with ideal weather, clear skies, and lots of time on the motorcycles. I managed to hit four states, rode several of the most notable routes, discovered some new rides, and treated my riding partners to at least one America Rides Maps road they’d never seen before that they will surely remember. While I touched the Blue Ridge Parkway several times, the holiday traffic took much of the fun out of it for me and I stuck mostly the little known hidden two lane mountain back roads I know so well. Finally, Monday evening, I rode up to view the newly opened section at the rock slide south of Asheville.
Waiting to go at Ferrin Knob Tunnel #1 south of the work area - A set of temporary traffic lights control passage through the single lane open at the site of the rock slide cleanup.
One lane is open at the Blue Ridge Parkway section near milepost 400 between Asheville and Mt. Pisgah. Passage is controlled by a set of temporary traffic lights on either side of the work area. They are programed to change about every 5 minutes so delays are tolerable though I’m sure the lines got pretty long during the peak of the weekend. Concrete barriers and a chain fence separate the tourists from the workers and prevent too many boulders from tumbling down onto the road.
A concrete barrier and high fence help protect from boulders and debris which might come down from above. It's a short ride past.
They’ve removed one heck of a lot of rock from up high on what was previously a pretty vertical section of hillside. It now slopes more gradually, though there’s enough loose rock and soil above to make one hesitant to linger below. There’s still quite a bit to haul out and stabilize before the second lane is opened in September, but it will come.
Another set of traffic lights is being used near work on the Buck Springs Tunnel just north of the Pisgah Inn.
There is a second work area at the Spring Gap Tunnel near milepost 408 just north of the Pisgah Inn. A set of temporary traffic lights also does duty here as the tunnel work progresses. It doesn’t appear to be too extensive and I wouldn’t think it will last long, but count on another delay.
This is great news, and I’m glad to see it finally come to pass. For the first time in more than 18 months the Parkway is open from end to 469 mile long end. Enjoy!