Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update For December 17 & 18

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Today crews with Charles Blalock & Sons began loading rock debris into dump trucks and hauling the material off site. Thursday, crews continued to break up large boulders on the western side of the slide area for removal in order to extend the 275 ton crawler crane pad further to the east. The contractor will continue hauling material from the site for the remainder of the weekend. For detailed video of today’s operations visit: http://bit.ly/7MtZZD.

 

Today, crews also continued hand scaling on the top of the slope to remove boulders and debris from the slope to eliminate the potential for future rockfall hazards to workers and motorists on the roadway surface below.  A 100’ long, 12’ high rockfall fence is being constructed on the eastern base of the slide area.  The rockfall fence will serve as an added measure of protection to prevent large rocks or boulders from reaching the TVA Ocoee 2 Dam or the cable anchor bridge that is situated below the eastern slope. Crews will resume drilling the unstable areas of the slope surface this weekend in preparation for blasting operations scheduled to take place next week.  Weather permitting, the contractor will continue working a seven day a week schedule until the contract is completed.

 

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.