Truck drivers could be fined $5,000 for entering Newfound Gap Road, park warns

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is warning commercial vehicle drivers that they could face monetary consequences if they try to drive on Newfound Gap Road.

The park and other agencies have consistently shared warnings to drivers that commercial vehicles are prohibited from using roads inside the national park. In a new release on Thursday, they shared that commercial drivers who choose to take Newfound Gap Road will be subject to a citation and a fine of up to $5,000.

GSMNP has been seeing issues with large, commercial vehicles attempting to use Newfound Gap Road since the end of last month when Hurricane Helene caused flooding across East Tennessee and western North Carolina and closures of the other routes that commercial vehicles would typically use to get to North Carolina .

The park temporarily closed overnight due to issues with commercial vehicles travelling on the two-lane road with steep continuous grades and tight curves, but later reopened the roadway 24/7 with the assistance of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Government and Sevier County partners to turn around the large vehicles.

“There are no truck lanes, runaway truck ramps or places for a large commercial vehicle to slow down and pull over. US 441/Newfound Gap Road is not safe for large commercial vehicles ,” a park spokesperson wrote Thursday. “Park staff have taken multiple actions to restrict access to the road, including staffing checkpoints, use of variable message signs, working with local communities to place signs outside the park, as well as strategically placed traffic cones and barrels to discourage commercial vehicles.”

The park also chose to release some of the incidents.

On October 3, two incidents involving commercial trucks happened. First, a commercial car hauler struck a wall and then went down an embankment, and then a semi-truck’s brakes caught fire. As emergency responders were responding to those incidents, eight semi-trucks drove past them.

On October 5, a park ranger found that a “commercial truck hauling a commercial car hauler trailer” near milepost 13 that had struck another vehicle. Because of the length of the trailer, it had crossed the center dividing lane and struck the passenger vehicle, the park said.

On October 13, a semi-truck became stuck on Roaring Fork Nature Trail and had to be towed out backwards the following day.

The park added that both of the drivers from the October 5 and 13 incidents were cited for operating a commercial vehicle on a restricted roadway.

“Commercial vehicles are always prohibited on US 441/Newfound Gap Road and in all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (with the exception of the Spur). Drivers are encouraged to consult NCDOT and TNDOT routes before starting their trips,” The park said.

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