National Park Service to improve 7 miles of Newfound Gap Road in North Carolina 

by Jul 11, 2025General Announcements0 comments

GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Newfound Gap Road is getting an upgrade. Starting July 14, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off a rehabilitation of a 7-mile stretch of Newfound Gap Road on the North Carolina side of the park.

The roadwork will include repaving the roadway from milepost 20.90 to 27.90, as well as repaving six primary parking areas along this section.

Visitors will see signs of construction but are unlikely to experience any traffic delays for the first stage of the project. All construction work will take place overnight (7 p.m. to 7a.m.) Sunday night through Friday morning (excluding federal holidays) until August 15. Single-lane closures will be in place overnight.

Starting Aug. 15, construction will take place during the day. The park will share updates on any changes to traffic in early August. This rehabilitation project is expected to be completed by September 30. Visitors are advised to drive with caution and anticipate delays due to single-lane closures during the repaving process.

This project is funded by recreation fee dollars (from parking tags, campgrounds, and backcountry camping) and the Federal Lands Transportation Program. Learn more about your fee dollars at work.

More than 1.5 million vehicles travel on Newfound Gap Road annually.

For more information about temporary road and trail closures at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, please check road conditions before visiting.

  • National Park Service release