Shenandoah National Park will begin a year-long road construction project on Skyline Drive this week. The work will occur in the Central District, between the Thornton Gap Entrance Station located at US Highway 211 and the Swift Run Entrance Station located at US Highway 33.
Contractors will reconstruct portions of Skyline Drive, the famed ribbon of road which winds along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Skyline Drive was originally constructed in the 1930’s and was last reconstructed between 1983 and 1988. The current road surface has met its life expectancy and is due for rehabilitation.
Once work begins, sections of Skyline Drive will be reduced to one lane of traffic during working hours, defined as sunup to sundown, Monday through Friday. Visitors can expect delays of up to 15 minutes and sections of unpaved, gravel road. During non-working hours, weekends, and national holidays, two lanes of traffic will be available, but sections of Skyline Drive will still have a gravel surface.
This project is being funded by the Federal Lands Highway Program and is being administered by the Federal Highway Administration for the National Park Service. For more information regarding the park and the road status please call 540-999-3500 or go to http://www.nps.gov/shen .
