Little River Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; image by Jeaneane Payne

GATLINBURG, TN - Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the pavement preservation project on Little River Road will resume Monday, August 19. A thin pavement overlay will be applied to the entire length of the roadway between Sugarlands Visitor Center and the Townsend Wye. Associated pull-offs and parking lots, and Elkmont Road leading to the campground will also be paved. The project should be completed by September 20, 2019, though work schedules are subject to revision as needed for inclement weather.

Visitors traveling on Little River Road should expect weekday, single-lane closures and traffic delays from August 19 through September 20. Single-lane, daytime and nighttime closures are permitted from 7:00 p.m. on Sundays through 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. The lane closures will be managed with flagging operations. Parking areas and pull-offs will be closed intermittently for pavement application. To better accommodate visitors during periods of high visitation, no lane closures will be allowed during weekends, holidays, or on Sunday, September 15 due to anticipated high traffic associated with the annual Fall Rod Run in Pigeon Forge.

The Federal Highway Administration awarded the $6.5 million paving contract to GC Works, Inc. Road work will include the application of a thin lift overlay to preserve the life of the pavement. Potholes will be patched before application of the pavement overlay.

For more information about temporary road closures, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/grsm or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.