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DOT ponders fix for collapsed section of U.S. 421
Journal photo by Monte Mitchell
A portion of U.S. 421 in Wilkesboro collapsed early Wednesday morning, May 27, 2009 after torrential tropical rains caused Moravian Creek to flood and wash out earth beside the road.
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Published: May 27, 2009
WILKESBORO
Soil engineers were inspecting a portion of U.S. 421 in Wilkesboro that collapsed early this morning after torrential tropical rains caused Moravian Creek to flood and wash out earth beside the highway.
A retaining wall collapsed, along with a concrete barrier and road asphalt from the exit 286B off ramp. The exit leads to Wilkesboro and Wilkes Community College.
The landslide caused the highway's entire asphalt shoulder to collapse, along with a portion of the exit ramp extending nearly to the southbound travel lane. The gap is about 100 feet from end to end along the highway and about 30 feet wide. It drops down about 30 or so feet to the creek.
Traffic was down to one lane in the southbound direction, heading from Wilkesboro toward Winston-Salem.
About 30,000 vehicles travel daily on that section of the highway, said Charles Reinhardt, a maintenance engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation in Wilkesboro.
The area had gotten about 5 to 6 inches of rain early Tuesday and another inch or so overnight into yesterday, according to the National Weather Service. Moravian Creek, which runs beside U.S. 421, had flooded Tuesday, causing the evacuation of 8 homes and the closing of School Street.
Brian Hamby, another DOT maintenance engineer in Wilkes County, said that workers noticed about 6 p.m. Tuesday that a portion of the highway had sunk about 8 to 10 inches. The DOT blocked off the exit and put traffic barrels to block the sunken portion of the road.
The section collapsed about 2 a.m. That's when the 911 emergency center called the DOT.
Soil engineers from Raleigh were at the landslide this morning discussing how to fix the road.
The soil engineers are surveying the site and will give recommendations to the DOT on how to fix the road, Reinhardt said.
"Right now, we don't have a plan," he said.
Detour signs were set up in case authorities have to close the road completely. The landslide is on the south side of the highway, just east of the bridge over the Yadkin River.
Moravian Creek runs beside the highway there before emptying into the river.
The area that washed out is where Moravian Creek comes toward the highway and then bends to run beside it. There is a concrete retaining wall there.
"If the hole gets any bigger, we will have to close it (both southbound lanes)," Reinhardt said. "We are trying to avoid that."
Large chunks of concrete and asphalt littered the muddy slide.
Motorists wishing to avoid the area may take the detour. Traveling in the southbound direction from Wilkesboro's commercial district, turn left at the stoplight onto U.S. 421 Business. Turn right onto Curtis Bridge Road, left at Glenn's Tastee Freeze and the Tyson Foods complex, and right onto Cherry Street to U.S. 421.
Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
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