Displaying items by tag: foothills parkway environmental assessment
Feds to restart “technical and design work” for Foothills Parkway extension
Conservation groups have cautioned against the zombie roadway between Wears Valley and Gatlinburg; EIS-level study uncertain
This story will be updated.
Concerns raised by the public over the decades range from impacts on domestic water supplies and endangered or threatened species to the fact the roadway might be a catalyst for excessive tourism infrastructure in Townsend and Wears Valley.
Park service opens comment period for Foothills Parkway extension from Wears Cove to Gatlinburg
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.