The National Park Service says plans to widen Interstate 26 just south of Asheville will mean construction of a new bridge for the Parkway spanning the interstate.
The Park Service intends to adopt the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s final environmental impact statement for the widening of Interstate 26 in Buncombe and Henderson County, North Carolina.
The Park Service says the widening of the interstate will conflict with the existing piers for the iconic high Blue Ridge Parkway bridge span because of their proximity to the interstate roadway. The resolution is to realign a short portion of the Parkway and construct a new bridge spanning Interstate 26 adjacent to the existing bridge, on the south side.
The new bridge will be 606 feet long, with two 10-foot lanes, three-foot shoulders, and a five-foot sidewalk on one side to accommodate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Construction will include additional parking for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on part of the old Parkway road alignment. The Parkway will remain open during the multi-year construction of the new bridge and demolition of the existing bridge.
The Park Service gave no further timeframe on the construction schedule.