About 9 months after Hurricane Helene washed away a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, the National Park Service reports incredible progress on repairs despite the challenges.
The backstory:
Hurricane Helene dumped flooding rains of up to 30 inches on western North Carolina in September 2024.
More than 57 landslides occurred along the parkway, with damage at milepost 401.5 being significant because the landslide undercut the roadbed, causing half of the roadway to collapse.
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What we know:
Due to the unstable undersoil, the National Park Service began a reconstruction project employing a reinforced soil slope system.
This method involves excavating the unstable area, rebuilding the slope with engineered materials, covering it with topsoil, replanting vegetation, and installing a new pavement system.
The RSS technique has been utilized multiple times in the parkway's history to address similar issues.
What they're saying:
"Rebuilding a mountainside is no easy feat!" the National Park Service posted to the Blue Ridge Parkway Facebook page. "Repair crews excavated the area and are rebuilding the slope using an engineered system. The structural slope is finished with topsoil and revegetated, and then the pavement system is installed."
What we don't know:
No word on when repairs will be complete.
The Source: The National Park Service provided this update. This article is being reported out of Atlanta.