| 110th Year, 27th Issue | Thursday, February 11, 1999 | Sparta, North Carolina |
About a 1/4-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway has been closed for repairs, according to District Ranger Brent Pennington.
The closed section begins at milepost 235.2 and is about 1/2 mile south of Mahogany Rock, Pennington noted.
The work is being contracted by Robbinsville Contracting Company, which is based out of Robbinsville. The company has a temporary field office at Trojan Village Shopping Center.
The roadway was closed because a portion of the scenic highway is in danger of sliding down the mountain, Pennington said. The road was still safe for travel, but was slowly shifting off the side of the mountain. "It had to be done fairly quickly," Pennington said. "We were on the verge of losing the roadway in that area."
The work is being funded by the Federal Highway Fund, according to Parkway Supervisor Ray Shaw. The work officially began on Jan. 25 and is scheduled to be completed on May 15. Shaw said that the contract calls for both lanes to be open by April 15.
An eight-mile section of the parkway is closed to through traffic, even though only a small portion is being repaired. Those with homes in the eight-mile section are still using the roadway, with the exception of the actual construction area.
Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News!
Email: allnews@ls.net