That is good news!
Let me add, in case anyone from outside the area comes this way to ride the BRP....between Mount Mitchell and Little Switzerland the road is still closed, as is Hwy 80 (The Devil's Whip). I ride 80 a lot and they keep extending the deadline for opening it back up- now showing as December 31st.
To get around this section, heading north on the parkway, get off at Highway 70 in Asheville before The Folk Art Center and reconnect via Hwy 226 in Spruce Pine, NC.