Blue Ridge Parkway officials outline multi‑phase recovery, projects to extend into late 2026

Acting superintendent Jim Grant and external affairs specialist Lisa Brandon of the Blue Ridge Parkway told the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners that recovery from Hurricane Helene is progressing but will take years, with major roadway repairs and safety work scheduled through late 2026.

The update focused on damage assessment and reconstruction along the Parkway in Mitchell County, where the National Park — a 469‑mile linear unit that runs through two states and 29 counties — recorded dozens of slides and infrastructure losses after the storm. Grant said the Parkway three‑phase recovery approach is in place: phase 1 contracts are wrapping up, phase 2 covers about 18 miles and is scheduled for completion in fall 2026, and phase 3 — roughly 24 miles from Route 80 to Mount Mitchell — is in design and being…