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Blue Ridge Parkway announces 11-mile road closure at Milepost 95 for boom axe operations

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road-work-headerOver a two-week period in November,  Blue Ridge Parkway maintenance personnel will be conducting large –scale trimming operations along the roadside from  Milepost 95 to Milepost 106 (between Highways 43 at Bearwallow Gap and U.S. 460).

During the periods of Wednesday to Friday, November 12-14, 2014, and Monday to Friday, November 17 – 21, 2014, both lanes of the Parkway in the work zone, during the work day, will be closed to all activity (cars, bicycles, and hikers) to ensure the safety of maintenance workers as well as Parkway visitors.  No work will occur on weekends and the motor road will be open on Saturday and Sunday during this period.

Annually, Blue Ridge Parkway maintenance and resource management staff conduct maintenance activities that help control invasive vegetation growth along the Parkway, as well as insuring safe sight distances and a clear right-of-way areas for motorists.  This work requires using a large tractor with a cutting head on a long arm, or boom, which must remain in the travel lanes during operation to properly trim the banks and road shoulders. The boom axe also allows access to clear areas behind guardrails and other roadside features.

Affected sections will close at approximately 7:45 a.m. each weekday and re-open daily about 5:00 p.m. EST from Wednesday to Friday, November 12-14, 2014 and from Monday to Friday, November 17 – 21, 2014. Those who normally commute on the Parkway on Mondaythrough Friday will need to find alternate routes.

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