Newfound Gap Road has been closed due to a landslide that undercut the road between Collins Creek and Webb Overlook on Wednesday morning. The slide is estimated to have taken out about 90,000 cubic yards of material, destroying about 300 feet of roadway. The slide is still active and a team made up of park staff and Federal Highways employees observed debris continuing to fall during an assessment of the area yesterday. The closure is expected to be in effect for an extended period of time. The park is also evaluating the remainder of the roadway, but anticipates that Newfound Gap Road will reopen to visitors from the Gatlinburg entrance in Tennessee to Newfound Gap parking lot as soon as it is possible. The road will be open to Smokemont on the North Carolina side. Park staff are working with the Department of Federal Highway’s Construction and Geotechnical Services to evaluate the slide damage and to begin planning for repairs. Additional details will be released as condition assessments are analyzed. As of midnight on Tuesday, the park had received 8.56 inches of rain at Cherokee, 7.40 inches at Newfound Gap, and 6.86 inches at LeConte.  Rivers and streams have been running fast and high since Sunday, when the rains began. There are currently multiple temporary road closures throughout the park due to high water. For the most current road closure reports, please call 865-436-1200 x 631 or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.

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Name: Molly Schroer, Public Affairs Office