The Eno River State Park is one of several natural areas that suffered significant damage from Tropical Storm Chantal. The well-known suspension bridge that crosses over the Eno River was especially harmed.
“This is something historic that the park has never seen before,” said Park Superintendent Kim Radewicz. “This is definitely a new one for us. It’s going to be a process of recovery and rehabilitation.”
The entire park is closed until further notice. Radewicz asks for the public’s patience as she and her team work to further assess damage, which will take time.
“(Please) know that we’re out here working and doing the best we can. There will be volunteer opportunities in the future, but right now we are very much in a hazard assessment mode,” said Radewicz. “Please do not access the park while it’s closed. It’s not safe for people at this time. When the time comes for volunteers, we will put the call out.”
Several other state parks also have closures in place as the region continues to recover after Chantal. The storm caused the Eno to set a new flooding record, cresting at 25.6 feet overnight Sunday night. The previous record was 23.6 feet set in 1996 by Hurricane Fran.
“That metal sign that’s on the bridge that (says) Hurricane Fran touched the bottom of that metal sign in 1996 – that was definitely surpassed by this storm by at least two or three feet,” said Radewicz.
The bridge is unofficially considered a symbol of the state park, known for being a scenic photo spot for social media. Because the river crested at such a high level, it was completely engulfed in water at one point.
The side of the bridge that’s closest to the visitor center is still somewhat intact, although its wooden bases are displaced. On the other side, across the river, the base is completely detached. One support structure lies loose on the ground.
“We have plans next week… to do a full assessment to see what’s salvageable with a structural engineer,” said Radewicz. “At this time, (we) can not access the other side. We have no capability of getting over there to see how things are going.”
There’s also a significant amount of debris scattered in every direction, even caught in the canopies of trees.
“Getting debris… back up to the road where it can be disposed of properly is going to be another challenge for us to overcome,” said Radewicz. “There will be some serious conversations about what particular trails look like after we’re able to remove the debris and see what we’re left with.
“There's a lot of planning and a lot of work that (will go) into making the park the place that people expect it to be. We (want to) make sure that it’s the place of memories that it always has been.”
