Newfound Gap Road Closed In GSMNP

US441, better known as Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed until further notice. Late Friday night, park officials responded to reports of a landslide on Newfound Gap Road between mile marker 12 and 13. This is just south of the Alum Cave Trailhead on the Tennessee side. Heavy rainfall caused Walker Camp Prong to swell and undermine part of the roadway Friday night.

The National Park Service, along with the Federal Highway Administration, are currently assessing the structural integrity of the damaged section of the roadway, which spans approximately 100 feet. The park service says the landslide affected nearly the entire width of the southbound lane of the highway. Newfound Gap Road is open from Cherokee, NC to Newfound Gap. However, it is closed on the Tennessee side at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Motorists are being told to use Interstate 40 as a detour while Newfound Gap Road is closed.