Paved crossings may fragment scenic parkway.(Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, in danger due to plans to widen road)(Brief Article)

National Parks, November, 1998

Plans to improve old farm roads threaten visual purpose of Blue Ridge Parkway.

Asheville, N.C.--The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) has plans for the next several years to widen and pave approximately 71 state secondary roads that intersect and cross Blue Ridge Parkway--a project that would cumulatively require an additional 125 acres of National Park Service (NPS) land.

Traversing 17 counties in North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway runs for 250 miles through scenic mountains, valleys, and forests. Many of the secondary roads--once connecting old farm residences and fields--run parallel to or cross the parkway.

North Carolina reserved a right-of-way 12 to 18 feet in width for most of these secondary roads when the state deeded...

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