Roanoke Times
More than 38 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia will be repaved this summer, the National Park Service announced Friday.
It’s part of a pavement preservation program on the historic motor route, according to a park service news release.
Work is expected to begin next week and continue through September. Visitors encountering active work zones can expect short-term single lane closures, according to the release.
Work will be carried out at the following locations, including paved viewing platforms:
– Milestone 27.3 to 37.6, Whetstone Ridge/Montebello area (10 miles).
– Milestone 64.6 to 86.2, James River to Peaks of Otter area (22 miles).
– Milestone 89.1 to 97.2, from Powell Gap to Taylors Mountain Overlook area (8 miles).
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As with any road project, motorists and park users should use caution. In the interest of visitor safety, park visitors are asked to:
– Please check the Parkway Alerts and Conditions page for regularly updated work zone information.
– Expect delays as work is performed Monday through Friday. Lane closures will be managed with signage operations and a pilot car to guide traffic through the work zones.
– Respect reduced speed limits in work zones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; to maintain safe operations and allow for proper pavement curing.
Anticipate loose gravel on the road surface during pavement curing times. Bicyclists and motorcyclists are asked to use extreme caution as loose gravel on the paved surface, during the required curing time, could cause loss of control. Local message boards will advise against the use of bicycles.
When circumstances prevent bicyclists from keeping up with traffic, get off and off the road to allow oncoming traffic to pass when passing through a one-lane closure, according to the release.
Contractors will work in short sections and repeat the resurfacing process as they move from section to section of the entire project. The steps in this process include preparing the surface, applying a sealing surface of liquid asphalt chips and stone chips, allowing the surface to cure properly, vacuuming the work area to minimize loose gravel, applying a fog seal over chip sealing surface, and finish by painting new road marking lines. The process will then be repeated in the next section of the project.
The Blue Ridge Parkway’s paved road inventory includes bridges, tunnels, parking areas, frontage roads, service roads, campground roads, and picnic areas, in addition to the 469-mile Parkway motor route itself. Given the large inventory of paved surfaces along the avenue, and to effectively invest available funds, the pavement preservation strategy focuses on maintaining good sections in good condition and returning good sections to good condition.
Pavement preservation is a common road maintenance strategy in national parks. Studies find that every dollar spent on pavement preservation saves between $6 and $10 in future pavement rehabilitation costs, according to the release. Funding for road maintenance in national parks, including the parkway, comes largely from the Highway Trust Fund, which is derived from a federal gas tax administered by the Federal Highway Administration.
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