Abandoned/unbuilt road near Delaware Water Gap

[Beeper1]

Does anyone know what the backstory is for National Park Drive, off PA-611 between Portland and Delaware Water Gap?  The existing section was built in the 70s and was clearly built by the NPS, including a divided section, but the upper stretch is blocked off and it appears the road was never finished.  The design looks similar to the closed sections of the Foothills Pkwy in TN.

Was this an aborted attempt to build a road the top of the ridge on the PA side of the gap?  There is no info on the park website for that area at all.

[Alps]

It wasn't going to make it far without a lot of switchbacks and construction cost. Maybe there was intended to be some further development there - visitor center, museum, etc.

[NE2]

It would have gone up to Mount Minsi.
http://books.google.com/books?id=l7ElAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Slateford+Creek+to+Mount+Minsi%22

[Chris19001]

I drove up there yesterday after doing a day hike up to Mount Minsi.  The mentioned road is pretty bizarre in the method of ending. It is gated with a sign saying "Private Residence" even though it is a divided stretch with a very large median between the lanes.  My guess is that there would have been a visitor center of some kind right where the gated sections begins, as the cleared land is significant and is appeared to have been graded at some point.  The whole segment of road screamed 1970's-1980's NPS though, as the characteristics seemed perfectly in line with the many NPS roads I've traveled throughout the country.  I'd also be very curious to know more if the story of the road project and how it fit into the narrative of the larger Delaware river dam project that predated the Water Gap National Recreation area.
The bigger disappointment was that National Park Drive "continued" with a left turn at the gate and promptly turned into a poorly maintained gravel road that continued on for a mile or two until meeting a better maintained road.  That section seemed like it was deserving of a different name.