Blue Ridge Parkway announces tunnel closure

A key element of the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville is closed due to rock slippage.

National Park Service officials announce that the Tanbark tunnel at Milepost 374.4 is closed until further notice due to a piece of the tunnel’s natural rock ceiling coming loose. 

The Park Service and Federal Highway Administration are assessing the issue and will determine what repairs are needed. The tunnel closure has effectively closed 20 miles of the Parkway, from milepost 355.3 at N.C. Route 128, which is the access road to Mt. Mitchell, south to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road, officials said.

The detached rock fragment, discovered during this weekend’s weather related closure, is approximately four feet by three feet and up to 12 inches thick. The rock has not fallen to the road and is currently being held by a steel netting and rock bolt safety system installed on the tunnel ceiling.  Repairs must be made prior to re-opening due to the significant weight of the rock and the stress it is currently putting on the safety system.

Weather permitting, Mt. Mitchell State Park will remain open from the north and accessible while tunnel repairs are under way between the park and Asheville. Specific information regarding daily closures, related to Tanbark Tunnel, weather, or for any other reason, is available on the Parkway’s Real Time Road Map, found at www.nps.gov/maps/blri/road-closures/ .