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 expedited with a target late‑2026 timeline.

Grant stressed the work is technical but uses established slope‑reinforcement and road‑rebuild techniques. He described the reconstruction as digging to a firm base and rebuilding “in the layers” with rock‑filled wire baskets and structural fills before paving. Lisa Brandon said the Parkway has public resources including a “bubble map” and road‑status pages and urged the public to obey closures because contractors and heavy equipment create active work zones.

Parkway officials reviewed funding and scale: the Parkway receives recurring Federal Lands Transportation Grant funds (typically $10–$15 million per year for paving and bridges) and benefited from a large allocation under the Great American Outdoors Act. Grant said the Parkway identified at least 57 landslides on the road and pointed to broader economic stakes: Parkway visitation generated an estimated $1.4 billion in regional economic impact in 2023.

Brandon and Grant addressed contractor availability, sequencing and seasonality. Grant said the reconstruction techniques do not require “space‑age” specialty contractors but noted that many sites require geotechnical work and that crews have a compressed construction season at higher elevations. Officials said phase‑1 openings have already restored some sections south of Asheville to Cherokee and six of eight campgrounds are open. They also noted remaining closures (including paving and a bridge reconstruction project) and urged residents and visitors to follow posted closures for safety.

Brandon pointed commissioners to the Parkway’s website and recent virtual briefings for up‑to‑date maps and recordings, and to social‑media updates intended to feed navigation apps and drive visitors to open segments and alternative local attractions. Commissioners asked whether the Parkway could coordinate with state transportation officials so local towns could capture detoured visitor traffic; commissioners and local business owners emphasized the economic losses for towns that were bypassed by detours after the storm.

The Parkway offered to continue briefings as work progresses and to make staff available for questions; commissioners and local officials asked for continued coordination on detours and public information.

The Parkway presentation closed with officials reiterating safety concerns at closed sites and a request that the public respect gates and barriers while heavy equipment is on site.