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Loop Road Through Cades Cove at Great Smoky Mountains National Park Closing Until Late May

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 25th, 2010

Years of traffic have greatly deteriorated the Loop Road through Cades Cove. Beginning Monday, the route will be shut down for a complete rebuild. NPS photo.

A complete rebuild of the Loop Road through scenic Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will require a nearly three-month closure of the road beginning March 1.

On busy days—and there are plenty of them—the single-lane 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.

Under the contract issued to the Harrison Construction Division of APAC Atlantic, Inc., the reconstruction of the 11-mile-loop has to be completed by May 21. If not, the contractor will face penalties. Already some work has been under way. Crews have been working at night to replace culverts, rebuild stone headwalls on culverts, and erect thousands of feet of black silt fence along the work area to prevent silt from washing into streams during construction.

“Every measure possible has been taken to minimize the duration and the impact of the closure of this very popular part of the park," said Great Smoky Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. "We will also be working with our partners in neighboring communities to stress that the Cades Cove Campground and Picnic Area will be open throughout the closure. In addition, the Cades Cove Riding Stable and Campground Store will be opening on April 1.”

During the closure period, all access to the Loop Road as well as the interior of the Loop Road will be closed to all visitor access whether by horse, bicycle or on foot, the park announced. Access will also be cut off to trails that are reached via the Loop Road.

The wait will be worth it. Park officials say the work will include paving 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 Park’s website has complete information on the Cades Cove project as well as work going on throughout the Park at:http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm

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