PHOTOS: Check out the construction progress of the Blue Ridge Parkway where it’s closed near Asheville

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Significant progress has been made on the Blue Ridge Parkway where the roadway was washed out from Hurricane Helene. 

The National Park Service released photos of the construction in northwest Henderson County at milepost 401.5. Repair crews excavated the area near Ferrin Knob Tunnel No. 3 and are rebuilding the slope with an engineered system. 

NPS officials say the structural slope is finished with topsoil and revegetated, and then the pavement system is installed. This method is called reinforced soil slope, aka RSS. This has been used serval times throughout Parkway history. 

Helene ravaged the region last fall, forcing an initial full closure due to debris and heavy damage to the roadway, and much of the road remains closed to this day. 

In May, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the planned full closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway would be postponed until 2026 to make large-scale repairs.