Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update For December 23
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 | 06:13am
Contractor Hauling Debris and Preparing for Trim Blasting Operations
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Construction crews with Charles Blalock & Sons and Dyno Nobel set off a series of blasts yesterday to trim the unstable face of the western slope as part of the overall slope remediation plan. Blasting crews also set charges in one of the large boulders at the base of the slide to break it up into smaller pieces so it can be hauled off of the site. On the east side of the main slide mass, construction crews continued the assembly of the 12’ high, 100’ long rockfall fence that will sit atop TVA Dam No. 2 and serve as a added measure of protection against rockfall hazards that might otherwise strike and damage the dam or cable anchor bridge. Haywood Baker, the subcontractor responsible for rock bolting operations, mobilized yesterday to begin installing test bolts. Holes will be drilled to a depth of 40’ into the face of the rock slope, bolts will be installed and anchored using grout, and then the contractor will tension the bolts until they reach failure. This testing method will allow engineers to design the overall rock bolting criteria to help stabilize the eastern slide plane.
Today, contractors will continue breaking up slide debris in order to haul the material off of the site or stockpile the material so that it can be used by TDOT to stabilize other shoulder areas along the US64 corridor. Crews will also continue scaling operations using a small track mounted excavator while test bolting operations continue. The rockfall fence will continue to be assembled on the eastern side of the slide area.
Work will continue through the week with hand scaling, drilling, trim blasting, erection of the rockfall fence, and breaking up and hauling debris off of the site throughout the week. The contractor plans to take off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but will resume work on Saturday.
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 Monroe 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 Polk 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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