NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Transportation will obtain an emergency contract to stabilize a portion of the mountainside which gave way Monday and forced the closure of the southbound lanes of US441 (The Spur) between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews on the U.S. 64 rockslide removal project continued working throughout the weekend as weather permitted. Workers set off a series of blasts on Saturday to remove several boulders and a rock ledge overhang on the western side of the slide site where rock bolting is scheduled to begin.  High winds and thunderstorms delayed drilling crews on the eastern side of the slope. That work is scheduled to resume later this week.  Today, the contractor is hand scaling the upper mid-section of the slope as workers assemble a new 150-ton crane that will be used when 40’ rock anchors or bolts are installed along the rock face. The contractor plans to remove the debris generated from Saturday’s blast from the roadway surface to allow construction of a crane pad for the new 150-ton crane.

 

NASHVILLE--- The Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol will present the “Between the Barrels” program to two high school Driver Education classes at Middleton High School on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. The Between the Barrels program helps educate teen drivers about safe driving practices, especially in highway work zones. The goal of the Between the Barrels program, which is geared to students who are just learning to drive, is to save lives and help reduce the chances of a teen driver being involved in a dangerous work zone crash.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews with Charles Blalock & Sons resumed drilling the western slope in preparation for a pre-split blast that is scheduled for Saturday.  Crews had to suspend operations yesterday due to high winds that were causing instability with the 275-ton crane.  The contractor plans to resume rock bolting operations on the west side after Saturday’s blast while the large crane and drill crews focus on remediation of the east side of the slope.

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews with Charles Blalock & Sons continued working to remove lose rock and other material from the upper western side of the slope. Crews are preparing to install 40 ft. long rock anchors at the site on Wednesday. A geotechnical engineer worked alongside crews to determine bolting locations on the slope face today. The contractor completed hauling the remaining slide debris from the roadway surface on Saturday. Crews then extended the pad for the 275 lb. crawler crane to the east on Sunday and Monday in order to reach the work area on the eastern side of the slope.  The contractor plans to resume drilling Wednesday in preparation for a scheduled blast on the eastern side of the slope on Friday, January 22, 2010.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation will receive $3.8 million in federal assistance to pay for the clean-up of the massive US 64 rockslide. The Federal Highway Administration notified TDOT on Thursday, January 14, 2010 that the rockslide cleanup effort does qualify for 100% federal reimbursement as long as work is completed within 180 days of incident. On November 10, 2009 a portion of Little Frog Mountain slid onto US 64 completely blocking the major east/west corridor in southeastern Tennessee. TDOT will have the roadway reopened to traffic by March 31, 2010, well ahead of the 180-day provision.

 

“The rockslide has placed a tremendous hardship on the people of Polk County and I have emphasized to TDOT the importance of moving quickly, but without jeopardizing safety, to reopen this roadway,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “I have had a number of discussions with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and TDOT to determine how the state can assist the area. I have also met with Senator Dewayne Bunch and Representative Eric Watson, and I appreciate their continued efforts to find relief for those affected by this slide. With their help, we've received this approval from the federal government, which will help expedite the clean up."

 

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews with Charles Blalock & Sons continued work on the site January 14 & 15, breaking up large boulders using a hydraulic hoe ram while a track hoe loaded the debris onto trucks for off-site hauling. Crews continued hand scaling on the east side of the slope while a mini-hoe ram performed scaling operations high up on the western side of the slope utilizing the 275 ton crane and platform.  To date the contractor has removed more than 5500 tons of debris from the roadway surface which has allowed the first unobstructed movement of machines and personnel from the east to the west side of the main slide since the slide occurred.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Construction crews with Charles Blalock and Sons hauled off 1540 tons of slide debris from the project on Tuesday and another 1100 tons today as workers continued hand scaling the eastern side of the slope to remove loose boulders and debris.  Hauling and scaling operations will continue throughout the remainder of the week as drilling crews prepare to begin operations on the eastern side of the slope.

 

TDOT maintenance crews continued their work along the west side of the US64 Corridor removing rock overhangs, improving shoulders and clearing debris while the road is closed.