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40-foot crack closes 5 mile stretch of Blue Ridge Parkway

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WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — A 40-foot crack has caused a five-mile section of Blue Ridge Parkway to close down. Officials said the latest round of heavy rain is to blame.

The area closed is near Parkway School and Highway 421 and stretches from mile marker 276 to 281.

Park Rangers who closed the road Tuesday morning believe the rain caused the dirt underneath the road to wash away.

"A little frustrating, because my plan was to drive south for a couple of hours," driver Jim Wayne said.

The cracks in the road are about an inch wide and run about 30-feet down the parkway. Areas in the mountains received up to a foot of rain over the last two weeks.

"Actually, we are surprised that there are no signs anywhere telling us how long it is going to be closed," visitor Beatrice Helbling said.

Park rangers are unaware at this time when the stretch of the road will reopen, but they are assessing the damage.

High water near Grandfather Mountain also forced officials to shut down trails like Boone Fork.

A few miles away the Department of Transportation has repaired much of a huge slide along Highway 221. Channel 9 has learned nearly a million dollars has already been spent in Avery County on damaged roads.

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