Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update For December 11
Monday, December 14, 2009 | 02:35am
Trim Blasting Continues on West Slope
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Today, crews continued with trim blasting by setting off a series of trim blasts on the western side of the slide area to remove an unstable plane of rock on the slope face. The blasts were set off removing 20’ by 20’ sections of the unstable slope as part of the overall remediation plan. Crews also worked on the east side of the slope where they continued scaling operation to remove loose debris to make the work area below safe for drilling operations to take place. A catchment pad of loose gravel was dumped on the roadway surface below the eastern side of the slope. The blanket of gravel serves as an energy dissipater for falling boulders to lessen the possibility of the boulders striking TVA Dam #2 or the cable anchor bridge suspended above Dam #2.
The contractor plans to begin hauling off blast and slide debris from the west side of the slope this weekend in order to continue his progress of drilling and trim blasting eastward. The contractor is scheduled to work through the weekend with the removal of debris.
US-64 in Polk County is closed at mile marker 17.6 due to a major rockslide near the Ocoee 2 Dam. A portion of Little Frog Mountain slid into the roadway on November 10, 2009.
Motorists traveling to the area from Chattanooga or Cleveland should take I-75 North to Exit 60 (SR-68, Sweetwater) and follow SR-68 South through McMinn County and into Ducktown in Polk County. Those traveling from North Carolina are advised to take US-74 to SR-68 North at Ducktown through McMinn County then onto I-75 at Sweetwater in Monroe County.
Motorists may also utilize a route through northern Georgia to travel around the rockslide area. From Copperhill/McCaysville at the Georgia State Line take Georgia Route 5 to U.S. Highway 76 to U.S. Highway 411 north to the Tennessee state line and on into Cleveland.
TDOT is providing a live look at the work underway to clear the rockslide via a time-lapse camera accessible by logging onto TDOT’s US-64 Rockslide web page (http://bit.ly/1Tlc8m) where you can also sign up to receive the weekly US-64 Rockslide newsletter.
For more information on TDOT road construction projects visit the TDOT SmartWay web site at http://www.tn.gov/tdot/tdotsmartway/. Travelers may also dial “511” for travel information or follow TDOT on Twitter. For statewide traffic updates follow TN511 or for the Chattanooga area, including updates on the US64 rockslide, follow Chattanooga511.
Motorists are reminded to use all motorist information tools responsibly. Drivers should refrain from texting, tweeting or using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle. TDOT advises drivers to “Know before you go!” by checking traffic conditions before leaving for your destination.
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