Foothills Parkway closed temporarily

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced the temporary closure of the 17-mile Foothills Parkway-West in Blount County because of a landslide that occurred on Tuesday, March 1, located about 2 miles from the Parkway’s intersection with U.S. Route 321. Fallen debris from the landslide landed near the edge of the roadway.  Out of concern for motorists safety and until a more thorough assessment of the slope erosion could be made by engineers, the road was closed immediately on Tuesday afternoon,” said Dale Brukiewa, Cades Cove Roads Foreman.  Preliminary assessments indicate that a 130-foot portion of the hillside is likely to slump gradually onto the roadway.  Park officials plan to meet with the Federal Highway Administration to determine the extent of the work necessary to stabilize the slope. In the meantime, Park Maintenance crews are constructing a temporary 500-foot detour to allow two lanes of traffic to move through the slide area with a reduced speed limit.  Concrete barriers will be placed on the roadside to prevent further erosion falling on the road and signage will be positioned to direct motorists through the detour.  The projected date to have the temporary route in place and the road reopened is March 18. Brukiewa continued, “We encourage visitors to drive slowly and cautiously through the detour which will be routed through the parking area.” For information on the status of the road, visitors can call the Park’s general information number at 865/436-1200.