Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update For December 14

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – This weekend, crews continued drilling operations using a track mounted drill rig on a crane platform.  The holes were drilled into the western face of the rock slope in preparation for trim blasting operations that took place this morning and this afternoon.  The contractor also continued scaling loose rock and debris from the eastern side of the slope in preparation for upcoming drilling and trim blasting that will occur as the work progresses eastward.

 

Blasting mats, which will be used for the construction of a rockfall fence on the eastern side of the slide to protect the cable bridge and TVA dam, arrived on site today and will be assembled this week.

 

The contractor also plans to resume hauling off slide and blast debris from the roadway surface later this week in order to make room for the extension of the crane pad eastward.

 

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.

 

 

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