Here is the latest update on the Highway 64 rockslide cleanup.
Work crews with Charles Blalock & Sons continued scaling operations on the east side of the slope throughout the weekend to remove loose boulders and debris while workers on the west side of the main slide area continued drilling the slope face in preparation of trim blasting operations.
Crews also completed the construction of the 12' high, 100' long protective rockfall fence positioned above TVA Dam No. 2.
Hayward Baker, the rock bolting subcontractor, completed the drilling, installation grouting of the projects first test bolt that will determine the design criteria for the bolting locations, tension, and numbers for both the east and west side of the slope face.
The rock bolts are used to help anchor two or more layers of rock along a slope that may otherwise be susceptible to a slide. Blasting subcontractor Dyno Nobel mobilized this morning to conduct a trim blast on the western side of the main slide area.
The contractor plans to continue his operation of working from the west to the east with trim blasting, rock bolting, and cleanup of the slide debris in the roadway. This is expected to continue through the first week of January when it is expected that the contractor will begin blasting the eastern side of the slide area as part of the overall remediation process.
U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 64 rockslide, follow Chattanooga511.