GATLINBURG — The National Park Service has posted the Foothills Parkway Section 8D Environmental Assessment (EA) for a 30-day public comment period ending Aug. 21. The EA evaluates the construction of nine miles of new parkway from Wears Valley to the Gatlinburg Spur near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
(Hellbender Press first reported on this proposal in 2021.)
A virtual public meeting about the EA and the proposed action will be held at 5 p.m. July 30. The meeting will include a presentation about the overview of the project and give time for the public to ask questions.
Read the EA, learn more about the proposed Foothills Parkway Section 8D project, and provide comments.
The preferred manner for providing comments is via an online form through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website (linked above), which the agency uses to manage official correspondence and analyze public comments in the planning process.
Comments can also be submitted in writing and postmarked by August 21 to:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
ATTN: Foothills Parkway 8D
107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tenn. 37738