ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The first 200 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened at 8 a.m. Friday

The announcement came from the National Park Service Thursday afternoon, just over a week after the entire parkway was closed indefinitely.

Officials in the Roanoke Valley believed there was a chance the parkway would reopen in much of the Virginia section before doing so in other sections, but were given no timetable.

Many of the attractions along the Roanoke Valley portion of the road did not have to close due to the parkway closure due to alternate access routes, but several did see a drop in attendance during the week.

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“Over the past week we have been unable to move traffic off the Parkway as people had to navigate to use our alternate entrance,” said Alex North with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. “We are looking forward to good weather in the coming weeks, which means people will be traveling on the Parkway.”

A handful of overlooks and trails along the Parkway remain closed, but the Parkway itself is untouched until mile marker 198.

Please monitor the National Park Service website and social media pages for further updates on the Parkway closure in your area.

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