June 9, 2010: US 129 reopened !!! Construction and repair of US129 from the March rock slide completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule. THANK YOU TNDOT and Pacific Blasting & Demolition Ltd.

May 10, 2010: Contractors are installing anchor bolts to stabilize the slide area. There is an incentive payment if the contractor finishes the project before July 1. TDOT installed a construction camera across the lake from the slide area, CLICK HERE to view camera archives. Keep up with construction progress on the TDOT Website. The Dragon remains open from 8 am to 8 pm from the NC side only.

April 20, 2010: The Dragon has been open for a week now and traffic has been light. Saturday was fairly busy. Sunday was a lot slower even with perfect weather for riding. The LEOs have been reasonable in their enforcement of traffic laws. Several tickets have been written, but they seem to have been deserved.

I-40 at the NC/TN border was reopen Tues April 27. Cades Cove Loop reopened Saturday, April 24 (@noon both Sat & Sun).

April 2010: We have received reports that the Devils Triangle is a little rough. Watch out on the clockwise loop for new chip-and-seal pavement and a few potholes. We recommend slower speeds until the roadway is resurfaced.

ROCK SLIDE UPDATE April 16, 2010: The rock slide on US 129 is located between the Dragon and Happy Valley Road/Foothills Parkway. TDOT has announced in a press release that the 11 mile section known as the Tail of the Dragon will be open from 8 am to 8 pm beginning Monday April 12, 2010. The only access is from North Carolina US 129. THP announced that there will be zero tolerance for traffic violations, so I'd travel the Tail with extreme caution. Please obey the traffic laws and report any undue harassment to us. We will forward all complaints to the Tennessee and North Carolina senators and representatives who worked so hard to get the road open. We will continue to post the latest information here so keep in touch.

All is going well at the Tail of the Dragon. Traffic is low, so it's a great time to enjoy the road without fear of semi trucks and big crowds.

The only alternatives for through traffic to cross from TN to NC are the Cherohala Skyway and US 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains.

A TDOT completion date of July 31. But that is only a guess by TDOT. The schedule for repairs started April 5 and a bonus for the clean-up if completed by July 1.