U.S. 129 Rockslide Repair Update for May 18
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 | 10:59am
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Trim blasting should remove a critical piece of unstable slope
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Crews working to stabilize the section of rock slope above U.S. 129/State Route 115 in Blount County will turn their attention to the large rock mass, known as a rock buttress, at the center of the slide today. The rock buttress has held the remaining slope above the highway in place since the March 14 rockslide that closed U.S. 129. However, the buttress is cracked and could eventually give way, causing another substantial rockslide.
[img:1 align=float_left]Today, crews with the Tennessee Department of Transportation's emergency contractor, Pacific Blasting & Demolition Ltd., conducted trim blasts to remove the rock buttress from the slope.
Crews have already installed a number of rock bolts along the slope to stabilize the rock. Crews spent the weekend installing and grouting rock bolts in place above the rock buttress to avoid another rockslide once the rock buttress is removed by trim blasting.
Trim blasting, is low-impact blasting technique used to carefully tap a loose boulder and get it to fall apart and fall down the slope. Workers drill holes in strategic locations around the targeted rock and insert a small quantity of explosives to remove the rock. Trim blasting is being used on this project to minimize flying rock debris and to avoid causing further damage to the mountainside.
Since rockslide repairs started on April 6, 2010, crews have drilled, installed and grouted approximately 3,600 ft. of rock bolts.
[img:3 align=float_left]U.S. 129/SR-115 remains closed from just past the Foothills Parkway to the Tabcat Bridge. However, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. U.S. 129/SR-115 is open from Tabcat Bridge to the state line. Through traffic is not allowed to travel through the slide area at anytime. Detours remain in place to allow motorists to get around the rockslide repair area.
TDOT has created a web page for information on the rockslide which can be found at www.tn.gov/tdot by clicking on the link "Rockslide Closures" at the top of the page. To view rockslide repair work on U.S. 129/State Route 115 you can go to http://earthcam.com/clients/tennessseedot/ . Motorists can also find the detour map for alternate routes around the rockslide area.
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For More Information Contact:
Yvette Martinez
TDOT Region 1 Community Relations Officer
Yvette.Martinez@tn.gov
865-594-0161
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