Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update for March 15
Monday, March 15, 2010 | 10:04am
Debris Removal and Rock Bolting Operations Continue
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Over the weekend, daytime construction crews continued hauling slide debris from the site and reconstructed the 275 ton crawler crane approximately 30’ to the east so that hand and mechanical scaling could continue on the eastern face of the slope. The contractor resumed scaling today and will continue until the slope is free of loose rock and debris that might otherwise serve as a hazard to workers and future traffic on the roadway surface below.
Crews worked Friday and Saturday evening drilling rock bolt holes, installing the rock bolts and grouting them into position. Night time operations will resume tonight at 6 PM and will continue on a 6 PM until 6 AM shift 6 days a week until the daytime work on the eastern slope is completed. At that time, rock bolting operations will shift to a 24/7 schedule with dual crews working whenever possible.
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. The roadway is scheduled to reopen to traffic on March 31, 2010.
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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