Helene Recovery Work Brings Lane Closures, Speed Limits to Blue Ridge Parkway

The National Park Service issued alerts for a 27.2-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway as Hurricane Helene recovery operations pushed into an active construction phase, bringing dump trucks, heavy equipment, one-lane closures, and reduced speed limits to one of Buncombe County's most traveled scenic corridors.

The affected section runs from Milepost 382.5 near Asheville south to Milepost 355.3 near Mt. Mitchell, with the speed limit reduced to 35 mph through the entire construction zone. Heavy machinery and dump trucks moving along the roadway prompted the restrictions as crews worked to clear and rebuild sections damaged during the September 2024 storm.

The corridor connects two of the region's most recognizable Parkway landmarks. At its northern end near Asheville, the route climbs above the French Broad River valley; at its southern terminus, it approaches Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet. That 27-mile span crosses some of the steepest and most geologically exposed terrain on the North Carolina Parkway, precisely the type of ground that bore the worst of Helene's landslides.

Helene made landfall in late September 2024 and sent record flooding and debris flows across Western North Carolina, forcing the National Park Service to close large portions of the Parkway indefinitely. Recovery work has proceeded in stages across multiple counties, with construction timelines shifting as the scale of the damage became clearer in subsequent months.

The one-lane restrictions mean drivers should expect traffic controls and possible wait times along the full Asheville-to-Mt. Mitchell segment for the foreseeable future as crews continue the repair work.