Just over two weeks after reopening U.S. 441, officials in Tennessee are once again reminding truckers that commercial vehicles are prohibited from traveling on the narrow highway.
“Newfound Gap Road is a two-lane road with steep continuous grades and tight curves,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “There are no truck lanes, runaway truck ramps or places for a large commercial vehicle to slow down and pull over.”
Reopened on Oct. 2, U.S. 441 – also known as Newfound Gap Road – runs through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The highway serves as a connection between North Carolina and Tennessee.
Damage from Hurricane Helene has limited travel throughout much of the western portion of North Carolina, with the state Department of Transportation declaring the area fit for “essential travel only.” Compounding the issue is the closure of both Interstate 40 and Interstate 26, which serve as the main corridors connecting the two states.
With those two interstates currently impassable, the North Carolina DOT is telling motorists to take Interstate 77 north to connect to Interstate 81 into Tennessee as a detour. That lengthy detour has left some truckers looking for alternate routes between the states, with some choosing U.S. 441.
Officials said that since the road reopened at the beginning of the month, staff have been at checkpoints at both ends 24 hours a day to alert truckers about the commercial vehicle ban, turning away over 800 trucks.
Despite these efforts, the NPS said it has responded to “multiple incidents” involving commercial vehicles attempting to traverse U.S. 441.
“While the NPS recognizes that major routes outside the park are currently closed, park roads are not structurally designed to sustain traffic from heavy vehicles,” a statement from the agency read. “Commercial vehicles will be turned away.”
In addition to the checkpoints, officials have taken a number of other measures to keep commercial vehicles off the highway, including:
- Use of variable message signs
- Working with local communities to place signs outside the park
- Strategically placing traffic cones and barrels to discourage commercial vehicles
Officials said those who choose to ignore the warnings will be issued a citation, which could include a fine of up to $5,000.
It has not been determined when I-40 will reopen.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the timeline for recovery efforts is unclear.
“We know that’s not going to happen overnight,” Buttigieg told reporters. “We’re working to do the things that need to happen immediately … Other parts of this will take billions of dollars and months – if not years.”
While he was unable to provide a concrete timeline for when the interstate would again be fit for travel, Buttigieg assured those in the impacted areas that “an entire family of federal agencies” would be assisting in the recovery efforts “every step of the way.”
“The immediate short-term priority is to stabilize what is here and prepare for the possibility of some temporary traffic patterns that could at least get people and goods moving on what is a key national interstate and a vital artery for so many of the smaller communities in this region,” Buttigieg said. LL
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