Stretch of I-40 closed by rockslide won't open soon

By: JournalNow Staff | MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE EXCHANGE
Published: February 18, 2010

WAYNESVILLE
The abnormally cold and wet weather this winter has delayed cleanup work on an Oct. 25 rockslide in the Haywood County side of Interstate 40 and has likely pushed back a proposed March reopening, The Mountaineer newspaper of Waynesville reported.

Joel Setzer, chief engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation Division 14, said Monday when the late March date was set, it was with the caveat that harsh weather would delay progress.

"A lot of work has been accomplished and we've been working around the clock when we can," he said. "We're tired but we're determined."

Another unknown was a weekend rockslide on the Tennessee portion I-40 near exit 151 just inside the Tennessee portion of the highway, Setzer said. While the slide is smaller than the one contractor Phillips and Jordan is addressing near the 2.6 mile marker on the North Carolina side, he said geologists are still working to determine the stability of the area above the fallen rock.

At the North Carolina slide near Harmon Den, rock and dirt debris have been cleared from the slide area and workers are in the process of installing nearly 600 bolts on a rock wall nearly 800 feet high.
The bolts are intended to anchor the remaining rock in place.

Setzer said it is still unknown whether the interstate will open for travel while work is in progress.
"If we can open one lane safely, we will, but right now it appears will all open at one time," he said.

Should a portion of the road open, the most likely scenario is that the two eastbound lanes would open, along with one west bound lane as work continues.

Even after the repair work is done, caution signs warning motorists to beware of fallen rock will remain posted.

"There are risk of rockfall hazards on most all mountain roads," Setzer said. "We will address the rock slide issues we're aware of, but this this stretch of road, there will be risks."

I-40 between Haywood County and Newport, Tenn., has been plagued by rockslides since it first opened in 1968. The road was redesigned in the early 1980s, but slides have continued to close the route through the years. Setzer said activities undertaken when the road was constructed destabilized the area.