Blue Ridge Parkway officials talk about reopening and return of activities

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The first 198 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened at 8 a.m. Friday

The announcement came from the National Park Service on Thursday afternoon, just over a week after the entire parkway was closed indefinitely.

Officials in the Roanoke Valley assumed there was a chance the parkway could reopen in much of the Virginia portion before other sections, but were not given a timeline.

Many of the attractions along the Roanoke Valley section of the road did not have to close due to the parkway closure for alternative access routes, but some saw a decline in attendance over the week.

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“For the last week or so we haven't been able to get that traffic off the parkway because people have had to drive around to use our alternate entrance,” said Alex North with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. “We’re looking forward to nice weather over the next few weeks, which means people will be out and about on the Parkway.”

A handful of overlooks and trails along the Parkway remain closed, but the Parkway itself is unaffected until milepost 198.

Stay tuned to the National Park Service website and social media pages for more information about parkway closures in your area.

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