Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update For January 6
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 | 10:07am
Rock Drilling, Bolting and Blasting Continue
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews with Charles Blalock & Sons continued drilling the large boulders located on the surface of US 64 under the main slide area on Tuesday while workers hand scaled loose rock and debris from the eastern side of the slope. Today Dyno Nobel set off a series of blasts to break up the boulders on the road surface so that the tracked hoe-ram can further process the debris into a size that can be handled and loaded into dump trucks to haul off of the site. Sub-contractor Hayward Baker worked on the west side of the slide area to perform test bolting operations. The test bolts will be installed and tensioned until they fail in order for a permanent bolting plan can be developed. Rock bolts are used to tension layers of rock together to prevent future slides from occurring in a given area.
The contractor plans to continue working daylight hours on a seven day a week schedule, weather permitting, until the project 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 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.