Crews with Charles Blalock & Sons worked on Friday to extend the crane pad located on the west side of the slide area to allow the 275-ton crawler crane to move further to the east for more drilling and trim blasting operations.

The pad, constructed of approximately 90 tons of rock and crushed stone, is necessary to ensure the crane and its 300-foot long boom operate on a level and stable surface. Workers also continued working along the face of the slope using hand tools to remove loose rocks and debris that would otherwise present a hazard to workers and equipment that will be operating on the roadway surface below.

Hand scaling, drilling, and trim blasting operations are expected to
continue through Sunday as weather permits.

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 Nov. 10. The project to remove the rockslide debris and repair the roadway is underway and expected to take until at least mid-January.

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).

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 McMinn 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 McMinn County then onto I-75 at Sweetwater in
Monroe County.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will launch a new weekly e-newsletter next week to help keep people informed about ongoing work to remove a massive rockslide from U.S. 64 in Polk County. People can sign up now to receive the newsletter through the TDOT website, www.tn.gov/tdot.

The newsletter will include weekly updates about the slide removal
operations as well as photos of the work. Those interested may subscribe to TDOT's US-64 rockslide e-newsletter by clicking on "Get
E-mail Updates" from the "U.S. 64 Closure near Ocoee River" updates
page, www.tn.gov/tdot/US64rockslide.

The new e-newsletter is the latest in a number of tools TDOT is using to keep motorists and residents informed about the rockslide clean-up progress. People may watch live images of the slide removal work are
available from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. by visiting the U.S. 64 Rockslide webpage.

Photos and progress updates are posted daily and videos of workers prepping, scaling, blasting and clearing the site are posted each week. Motorists may also visit the TDOT Web site to view a printable location map of the slide area with detours.

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 McMinn 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 McMinn County then onto I-75 at Sweetwater in
Monroe County.

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 up to the minute travel information. TDOT is
also on Twitter.

For traffic information in the Chattanooga area and updates on the U.S. 64 rockslide follow Chattanooga511 on Twitter or follow TN511 for statewide updates.

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.