Staff at Great Smoky Mountains National Park now estimate that US Highway 441 at the Tennessee and North Carolina state line will be closed for two months after heavy rains washed out around 125 feet of the road last week.
On Friday, the park took Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters along with various other town and city leaders in the county to visit the damaged roadway. They’re concerned that the extended closure will further impact tourism in the region which has so far been largely stagnant this year after impacts from Hurricane Helene, such as ongoing repairs to Interstate 40.
“So we sort of have a double whammy going on right now and that makes us doubly concerned about what's going on here,” Waters said. “Tourism has been flat this year … and this is certainly going to have an impact. So hopefully we can get it open soon and get back up and let folks know we’re open for business.”
The park’s Chief of Staff Katie Liming says that they are currently looking for a contractor to complete repair work, and hope to make a decision later this month. She said it’s still unclear how much the repairs could cost the park, but they do plan to begin work later this month.
“We are working quickly towards repairs of this section of the road,” Liming said. “We recognize this is a beloved area and that this is a major route through the park and through our communities.”
The 125 feet of roadway was washed into the Walker Camp Prong of the Little River on the evening of August 1, after the park received over two inches of rain in less than two hours. A small mudslide happened nearby, washing rock and soil onto the road as well. Liming says that they aren’t concerned about the safety of any other portions of the highway, which still remain open.
“We don't believe that there was anything wrong with the road,” Liming said. “We just got a lot of rain all at once.”
The highway is closed in the park on the Tennessee side at the intersection with Fighting Creek Gap Road, near the Sugarlands Visitor Center. With traffic coming from three different directions, Liming says there is some noticeable heightened congestion as people attempt to find alternate routes through the park. But she was also quick to note that much of the park is still open for visitors.
“The park is still very much so open, and there is still plenty to explore,” Liming said. “If visitors are looking for a scenic drive, they might check out the Foothills Parkway … this is a time to check out a new area of the park.”
According to park staff, the last time such a major slide and road closure happened on Highway 441 was in January of 2013, when major flooding throughout the Southeast caused a 200 foot portion of the highway to wash away on the North Carolina side of the park. It took three months for the road to be repaired and reopened to the public.
