SEVIERVILLE — Local officials say the closure of Interstate 40 will impact traffic coming to Sevier County, but with alternative routes that keep travelers on interstates the entire way they think it might not be a major hit.

The interstate has been closed near in North Carolina near the border with Tennessee since a rock slide early in the morning of Oct. 25.

Boulders covered both lanes, and officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation now say it could be four months before they can restore any lanes of traffic on the important route. The traffic going through that area of Interstate 40 is about 25,000 vehicles a day, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Travelers are being advised of alternative routes; the main route for tourists who would have used Interstate 40 to travel west toward Sevier County will involve taking I-26 over to I-81 back to I-40. That route — essentially coming through the Tri-City area — adds about 53 miles to the trip.

The last time I-40 was closed for an extended period of time came in the summer of 1997.

There are few hard figures available for how that impacted the local economy, but officials at Dollywood kept track of the impact on customers coming from the areas most affected, like Asheville, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Charlotte, N.C. and others.

“In 1997 we were off about 20 percent from those markets,” spokesperson Pete Owens said.

“That slide happened just prior to peak season in the summer. In this case, we’re going into Winterfest and Smoky Mountain Christmas. While it’s a significant festival for us, it will likely have a lesser impact than the ‘97 slide did.”

Data from the Economic Development Council showed the closure didn’t cause a reduction so much as a slowdown in growth of the tourist economy.

Total expenditures and payroll generated by tourism actually increased, but travel generated employment dropped slightly that year, from 15,400 to 15,290 jobs.

“Certainly when one of the main roads that bring our visitors is blocked it’s going to have some impact, but we hope that people will take the alternate routes and come through the mountains and just enjoy the views,” Director Allen Newton said.

Officials believe the impact this year could be even less because the alternative routes have improved since 1997.

“People can still get here by interstate,” said Leon Downey, director of the tourism department for Pigeon Forge. “I sort of equate it to when they were working on Interstate 40 in Knoxville. As long as the traffic is still moving, I think it’ll be all right.”

During the 1997 closure, workers were able to get some lanes open more quickly than anticipated, but so far the estimated duration of the closure has been growing.

In the meantime, officials are working with Triple A and other travel agencies to make sure travelers know about alternative routes to the area.

“That’s just really important, for people to know that they can get here,” said Brenda McCroskey of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.

In Sevierville, the impact might be felt more than in the other communities. The holidays are a prime time for travel to the Tanger Five Oaks, one of the city’s main economic engines.

“We actually don’t slow down that much in November and December right now. It would have been better if it happened in January,” she said. “With people coming to see the fall colors, then Winterfest lights and holiday shopping at the outlet malls, the months are no longer as slow as they used to be.”

Still, McCroskey said she believes the impact will not be serious.

“I don’t remember exactly how it affected tourism in 1997, but I’ve talked to some other people and as they recall it didn’t affect it in a major way because people found alternate routes to get here.

“I think we’re going to be OK. To say it won’t have any impact at all would probably be unrealistic.”

jfarrell@themountainpress.com