
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 6, 1991                   TAG: 9103060139
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

PARKWAY TRAFFIC HITS 4-YEAR LOW

Visitation along the Blue Ridge Parkway dropped in February to its lowest level for that month in four years, the National Park Service reported this week. The parkway's Asheville, N.C., headquarters said 1,032,005 visitors used the road last month, down 2.9 percent from 1,063,218 in February 1990 but 12 percent over January's 921,533. It was the lowest total for a February since 925,910 visitors in 1987.

The Virginia portion of the parkway reported 409,885 visitors last month, down 1.4 percent from a year earlier; traffic on the North Carolina section of the road fell 3.9 percent to 647,320.

Traffic is computed by counting cars using the road and assuming each contains 2.5 persons, then subtracting the number of vehicles thought to be commuting. - Staff report

by CNB