GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Sevier County officials asked U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn to help speed up repairs to Newfound Gap Road before the Great Smoky Mountains’ busy fall tourism season.

The highway, also known as U.S. 441, has been closed in Tennessee for about two weeks after heavy rainfall washed away a section on Aug. 2 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The North Carolina side reopened a day later, with the Tennessee side remaining closed between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and the North Carolina state line.

The damage has cut off direct access to Cherokee, North Carolina and some of the park's most popular destinations on the Tennessee side.

RELATED: Newfound Gap Road in the Smokies will remain closed for repairs on the TN side until October

On Aug. 8, Sevier County and

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