Newfound Gap Road To Remain Closed
Newfound Gap Road on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will remain closed for a couple of months while repairs are being made. On the night of August 1, the area around Walker Camp Prong experienced over 2 inches of rain in just 2 hours, leading the creek to swell over its banks, and undermined a section of Newfoundland Gap Road between mile markers 12 & 13. The affected area spans approximately 125 feet and has significantly undercut nearly the entire width of the southbound lane.
On Friday, representatives from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Sevier County visited the site with Great Smoky Mountains National Park Leadership to learn more about the damage to the road and the next steps. The National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration are working to complete the required steps of the design, permitting and contracting processes for construction. the plan is to award a contact sometime this month with the expectation that construction will be complete in early October.
Right now, Newfound Gap Road is open on the North Carolina side of the park from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to Newfound Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line. The Tennessee side is currently closed at Sugarlands just outside Gatlinburg. The National Park Service is recommending I-40 as a detour for those wanting to get from Tennessee to Cherokee, NC. You would then take Exit 20 to US 19 in Maggie Valley to continue through the mountains to Cherokee.