The Gatlinburg Bypass is a two-lane road maintained by the NPS, although most of the route is located outside of the main boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Its main purpose is to allow tourists to bypass the congested business district of Gatlinburg in order to speed access to and from the national park.

It immediately crosses over the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, and begins a steep ascent as it traverses Cove Mountain.

After the intersection, the parkway begins a long, gradual descent down the mountain and curves from a westward to an eastward alignment in a hairpin turn.

[3] Preliminary planning for the bypass began in the mid-1950s as tourism to the national park surged during the post-World War II boom.

[9][10] A number of tourist attractions were established in Gatlinburg during this time, and the parkway through the city began to suffer from severe congestion.

[11] Finalization of the agreement was stalled, however, as the NPS would not agree to an access road connection for properties along the bypass that had been requested by the highway department.

[24] Initially slated for completion on March 31, 1994, the project was repeatedly delayed by geological issues, weather conditions, and equipment problems.

Construction was suspended two months later to make way for summer traffic, and resumed in November, with completion slated by the end of the year.