Road repairs are scheduled to begin soon on Hurricane Gap Road in the Cherokee National Forest in Greene County. The road begins at the entrance to the Paint Creek recreational area, continues past the campground, and up the mountain to Hurricane Gap. From there, it descends into North Carolina, ending at Tanyard Gap just outside of Hot Springs.
Christopher Joyner, Public Affairs, said that the work will involve repairing deep rutting caused by heavy rain events in both 2021 and 2023. The Forestry Service is conducting core samples in preparation for road repairs.
Portions of National Forest Service Road 31, known locally as Hurricane Gap Road, will take place between Sunday, August 25, and Wednesday, August 28. The disruptions will be confined to the area of work during daylight hours, and there will be traffic control.
Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) funds will be used for the repairs. The ERFO Program was established to assist federal agencies with the repair or reconstruction of tribal transportation facilities, federal lands transportation facilities, and other federally owned roads that are open to public travel, which are found to have suffered serious damage by a natural disaster over a wide area or by a catastrophic failure.
