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Cades Cove Loop Road at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Set for a Major Redo Next Spring

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Cades Cove Loop Road

A quiet day on the Cades Cove Loop Road. Photo by Pete via Creative Commons.

A popular drive in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is going into rehab next spring, but fans of the Cades Cove Loop Road don't need to worry. The route isn't being turned into a major highway, and the project will use some techniques designed to make the job as easy on the environment as possible.

On busy days—and there are plenty of them—the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road carries between 3,000 and 4,000 vehicles a day. That much traffic puts a lot of wear and tear on pavement, and it's time for a redo of the roadway.

Park officials have planned the job for as early in the spring as weather allows to minimize inconvenience for visitors, but if you're planning a trip to the Smokies next year, keep this project in mind. The road is expected to be closed from March 1 through May 21, 2010, although weather conditions could result in adjustments in those dates.

According to Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson,

“We looked at a full range of options to get the work done without totally closing this popular road, but all would have involved sending traffic out of the Cove via the primitive, gravel Parson Branch Road onto U.S. 129 – a very long detour totally unsuited to carrying the 3-4,000 vehicles that enter the Cove each day.

We also considered requiring nighttime work only, but due to the method of construction, ‘Full-depth Reclamation’, it is not possible to drive on the road the day after the sub-base is rebuilt.”

The method chosen for the work will reduce the impacts of the project on the environment.

“Full-depth Reclamation” involves using specialized equipment that essentially roto-tills the existing pavement, mixes it with the underlying materials to a depth of six inches, then incorporates water and Portland cement. The resulting mix must harden for 5-7 days before it can support loads or receive the final paving.

“The construction method selected eliminates the time, pollution and cost of milling of the old pavement and trucking hundreds of loads of it back to the asphalt plant for reprocessing. Instead the pavement is recycled in place, so it’s a much more environmentally responsible way of getting the work done.” Ditmanson said.

To help minimize the closure period, the contract will offer substantial financial incentives for completion ahead of schedule as well as imposing penalties for delays.

Eliminating all those trips by trucks over other roads in the area will also be a big plus for visitors and local residents, and it will save considerable wear and tear on the highways in the vicinity.

Fans of the rural feel of Cades Cove can rest easy. The "new" road won't change the character of the area.

The road will remain a single lane, one-way byway, but the park does plan to pave a number of informal pull-offs that are already in use, but badly eroded. Managers hope that paving the pullouts will encourage drivers to pull over more when stopping to view wildlife, helping traffic to flow better as well as reducing erosion.

The Cades Cove area includes other facilities and activities in addition to the Loop Road, and the work will not affect those opportunities for visitors.

“I do want to make sure the public understands that, although the Loop Road will be closed, the rest of the activities that visitors come to the area for will still be available,” Ditmanson said. “The campground, picnic area, horseback riding stable and campground store will be operating as normal and any trails, except those accessed off the Loop Road, will also remain open.

We will also work to make visitors aware of alternative destinations such as the Tremont or Elkmont areas that traditionally get light visitation, but have great scenic values as well as a variety of hiking opportunities.”

If you'd like to find out more about those alternative locations in the park, the staff suggests you check the "plan your visit" page on the park's website. If you're in the area and want some face-to-face advice, Ditmanson suggest you stop by the Townsend Visitor Center, located on US 321 in Townsend, Tennessee, or one of the other visitor centers in the area.

"The Townsend center is operated jointly by the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Great Smoky Mountains Association, so the staff is well-acquainted with the area and the Center stocks all the same informational materials as our Cades Cove Center."

Comments

Yep, it was time for this road to get redone. Past time, really. As much as I will miss taking my family around Cades Cove for spring break and hiking some of the great trails that leave from the road... I look forward to seeing the improvements.


I had the occasion to drive the Cades Cove loop road last fall. It was peak color season, and the road was jammed. I had to wait several minutes at the Abrams Falls side road for what seemed like a never ending line of bumper to bumper traffic around the road. To me, that volume of traffic is too great for anyone to enjoy the experience as it should be enjoyed.

While I am delighted that the Park Service has chosen to maintain the character of the road and to recycle in place, I hope they are also looking at the big picture of managing the volume.


I visited Cades Cove last spring and the road almost reminded me of the Badlands in the Dakotas. It would be nice to make it a little wider so there could be a dedicated bike lane all day. I would also like to see dedicated buses that do the route to reduce the volume of traffic.


Yes my family has been visiting CadesCove since I was a kid. Yes - we've been saying the same thing. Lay some track run a train or some trolleys. Or some buses...

I don't know where they would park all the visitor cars though...

Hoping to camp the second weekend of Nov this year (2009).

Tough to get the weather to cooperate this time 'round though.


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