Linn Cove Viaduct on Blue Ridge Parkway reopens; other parkway sections still closed

LINVILLE - The Linn Cove Viaduct, the “engineering marvel” that allows the Blue Ridge Parkway to swing out and around the fragile plants of Grandfather Mountain, has reopened, parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon said Monday.

The viaduct, or bridge, closed March 1 to undergo a major overhaul to remove and replace asphalt, waterproof membrane and joints and complete repairs to supporting structure, stone curb, railing and drainage features. The road will be open under one lane traffic control between mileposts 305-298, Brandon said.

The Linn Cove Visitor Center at milepost 304 will remain closed until viaduct work is done. The trail under the viaduct also remains closed.

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The viaduct sits at 4,300 feet in elevation. It was built in the mid-1980s to protect Grandfather Mountain, rather than cutting the road into the side of the mountain as much of the parkway did when it was built in Western North Carolina.

The viaduct and its sweeping views are one of the parkway's most popular spots. The counter closest to the viaduct calculates an average of 300,000 visitors annually over the past 10 years.

This is the first time the viaduct has been paved since its construction more than 30 years ago, Brandon said. The price tag is $1.9 million.

Other sections of the parkway remain closed after record-setting rainfall last week downed trees and destabilized the ground beneath them.

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The upper overlook at Linville Falls is closed at milepost 316, and the Tanawha Trail at the Boone Fork Creek footbridge, milepost 297, is closed.

The parkway north of Asheville, between Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell, mileposts 365-355, has just reopened.

For the most up-to-date information on road closures, visit the parkway’s real-time road map at www.nps.gov/blri.