Deal’s Gap Closed!
The following is from an email to one of our club members regarding the closure of Deal's Gap aka Tail of the Dragon.
Just wanted to send you all a note and let you know about a potential problem. There has been a rockslide on US-129 (aka Deal's Gap, Tail of the Dragon) down beside the lake on the Tennessee side approximately 1.5 miles south of Foothills Parkway.
The TN governor has decided not to accept North Carolina's help with law enforcement and emergency services and instead has decided to close the road entirely from the rockslide south to the state line. In other words, the road is closed entirely. Current estimates are that it will continue to be closed until July or August.
You can contact the TN governor using this email address: Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov or by visiting his website at http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/Contact.do There are phone numbers and physical addresses for snail mail.
Please visit the MATG forum for more information. I will keep the thread updated with as much information as I can. I'm also sure that others will comment or make suggestions as well. I'll also post a map around the rockslide from the Tennessee side going across the Cherohala Skyway. Here is a link to the new thread regarding the rockslide: http://www.gapmiatas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1048
The latest info on the TDOT site is they anticipate opening the road on or around 31 July. That will make it pretty hot for a summer trip but fall might be an option. As always, I'd check for the latest updates on the "gapmiatas" link.
There seem to be two pressure groups in Tennessee concerning the gap. One, the locals, want it open for all the tourist trade plus the income from all the moving tickets issued. Two, much of state government likes that it is closed because they think we are a headache.