WBIR is
reporting that an 8 mile section of the Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed due to a late night rockslide. The road between the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area and the Townsend junction is closed.
Traffic is being diverted out of the park onto US 321 in Townsend then north on US 321 to the Lyon Springs Road in Wears Valley. Motorists can re-enter the Park on the Wear Cove Road to Metcalf Bottoms and continue east on Little River to Newfound Gap Road and on to either Gatlinburg or Cherokee.
Due to bridge weight limits, no large motorhomes or buses can use that alternate route. These larger vehicles must continue on US 321 into Pigeon Forge.
Right now there is no word on how long it will take to get the slide cleaned up and the road re-opened.
2010 will definitely go down in history as the year of the rockslide in the Great Smoky Mountains region.
Jeff
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