U.S. 129/State Route 115 in Blount County Opens Ahead of Schedule

Friday, July 09, 2010 | 09:32am
[img:1 align=float_left]Rockslide repairs finished nearly a month early in Blount County
 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – All lanes of U.S. 129/State Route 115 are now open allowing traffic to flow freely from Blount County, Tennessee into North Carolina three weeks earlier than anticipated.
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Crews finished paving, striping, and installing guard rail and reopened the roadway at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 9.
 
TDOT offered a $195,000 incentive to the contractor if the roadway opened by July 1, 2010. However, work on an unstable rock mass which began to slide on June 2 hindered the contractor from receiving the full incentive. Emergency contractor Pacific Blasting & Demolition Ltd. will receive $136,500 for finishing three weeks ahead of the estimated completion date of July 31.
 
"Given the importance of this roadway to Blount County, it has been a priority to get it re-opened as soon as possible," TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said. "This was a complex and challenging project, and everyone involved is to be commended for its early completion."
 
During the course of the project, crews removed rock with hand scaling, an air bag technique and low impact trim blasting. Approximately 17,560 tons of rock either fell or was removed from the mountainside. Workers hauled 777 truckloads of material away from the site over the course of the project.

To stabilize the remaining slope, crews installed 7,490 feet of rock bolts and 5,100 square feet of wire mesh rockfall draping.

Crews also repaved and restriped 900 feet of roadway and installed 70 feet of guardrail.

For up to date travel information, motorists may dial 5-1-1 from any land line or cell phone or visit the TDOT SmartWay web site at www.tn.gov/tdot/tdotsmartway. TDOT is also on Twitter. For traffic information in Knoxville and Tri-Cities areas follow @Knoxville511. For statewide travel information follow @TN511.
 
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