Great Smoky Mountains National Park managers are offering a presentation on the alternative schedules and construction phases that the Park is considering to repave the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road in early 2010.  The presentation will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday,
November 13 at the Townsend Heritage Center.
According to Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson, “Our staff has been working with engineers at the Federal Highway Administration to develop a number of scenarios under which the repaving could be accomplished. At the meeting we plan to lay out advantages and disadvantages of each concept in terms of their affects on the public’s access to the Cove. At the presentation we will welcome any questions about the various alternative concepts and the construction methods under study.”
“This meeting is not part of the Cades Cove Planning process.” Ditmanson said, “The Cades Cove planning process, which began in 2002, is a much broader discussion that includes various transportation alternatives for accessing the Cove and also evaluates a variety of potential facility changes.  The National Park Service is still in process of evaluating the costs and impacts of those broader alternatives and will provide that analysis at public meetings at a later date.

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