By Nathan Ham
Enough road and bridge repairs have been completed to allow for one lane of the Viaduct to reopen, that according to Blue Ridge Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon.
The Linn Cove Visitor Center also reopened on Monday as construction is almost completed. The trail that runs under the viaduct will remain closed until all construction is completed.
This is the first time the viaduct has been repaved since the original structure was completed in 1987.
The viaduct was the final piece of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be completed and is over 1,200 feet long. It took eight years to finish building and officially opened to the public on Sept. 11, 1987.
The viaduct was originally closed on March 1 with the intentions of having all of the road work, including repaving, structure maintenance, railing repairs and drainage repairs completed by Memorial Day Weekend. However, thanks to well over 10 inches of rain in the area during the month of May, repairs were not completed in time. Crews were able to get enough dry weather this past weekend to finish the asphalt resurfacing.