Road To Nowhere
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) recently released an article regarding the newest development in a 65-year old case to build a road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. According to SELC, plans for building the 34-mile road date back to the late 1940s, when the federal government flooded a road Swain County, NC, when it built Fontana Lake. The National Park Service built a few miles of the road in the 60s, but abandon the project when it proved too costly and environmentally damaging. Since then, the county, state and many others have called on the federal government to instead provide Swain County a monetary payment to compensate for the lost road.
Just a few weeks ago, the National Park Service released a draft report noting the cash settlement as the proposed alternative to the so called “Road to Nowhere.” Their conclusion was based on over 75,000 public comments and an extensive review of the ecological impacts such a road would have on the mountains (and the tourism industry). While the final report won’t be released until September of this year, it’s still great news for all of the organizations and individuals who have worked tirelessly over the years to keep the Road to Nowhere from destroying parts of a wonderful national park!
Look for an update in October 2007 after the final report is released.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited of all the National Parks. By preventing the building of this road, a vast area is still preserved in quite solitude and is still accessible by foot for those that want to visit. The devastation caused by building a road has been the focus of Trout Unlimited and many other conservation groups. We continue to hope that the monetary settlement is approved and this resource will be protected for future generations.