Blue Ridge Parkway tunnel closure means 20-mile detour near popular tourist spot

A Blue Ridge Parkway tunnel is closed “until further notice” “due to a piece of the tunnel’s natural rock ceiling coming loose,” parkway officials posted on Facebook Tuesday.

The closure means a 20-mile detour near Mount Mitchell State Park, according to parkway officials.

Tanbark Tunnel was closed after a chunk of rock about three feet by four feet and up to a foot thick came lose, officials said.

“The detached rock fragment, discovered during this weekend’s weather related closure ... is currently being held by a steel netting and rock bolt safety system installed on the tunnel ceiling for this very reason, to catch any falling rock,” the parkway said on Facebook.

“However, due to the significant weight of the rock, and the stress it is currently putting on the safety system, repairs must be made prior to re-opening to visitors,” according to the post.

The rock came loose “In the midst of multiple weather related closures at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” parkway officials said in the post.

Mount Mitchell State Park remains open, officials said.

As for Tanbark Tunnel, the park service said: “The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration are in the process of assessing the issue and will determine what repairs are needed.”

To route parkway visitors from the tunnel, the parkway will stay closed from Milepost 355.3 at N.C. Route 128 to Milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road.

The parkway updates closures online at http://go.nps.gov/10zar2.