- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
- Location
- Morganton NC
I-40 reopening delayed a month
By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
Citing extremely harsh weather, North Carolina transportation officials said Tuesday afternoon that Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border won’t be reopened until late April.
That is a month later than had been expected.
Crews have been working for nearly four months to repair a section of I-40 damaged in a large rock slide last Oct. 25. The project has included installing large metal bolts into the mountainside along I-40, to prevent additional problems.
But the mountain area has received 2 1/2 times its average annual snowfall, and officials say 17 inches of rain has fallen in the area since December.
“This has been an incredibly harsh winter, and because of that, the specialty contractors have not been able to do as much work as planned,” said Jon Nance, chief engineer of operations for the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Nance said the bad weather has allowed engineers to discover five additional sites that need work. Four of those sites are west of where the rock slide took place -- in other words, closer to the Tennessee border. The five site is about 1 1/2 miles east of where the rock slide took place. All five sites are on the portion of I-40 that is closed, so the additional repairs will not affect motorists.
Even when the highway is reopened, engineers say, one lane on the westbound side will remain closed until this summer so crews can complete installing the bolts and anchor mesh.
Nance said crews have taken advantage of the closure on I-40 to take on an additional $5.3 million in maintenance work. That includes:
-- Paving and maintenance of three tunnels within the closed section of the highway.
-- Repairs and maintenance to four bridges, include the bridge over White Oak Road in Haywood County.
-- Tree and brush maintenance and slope-mowing.
By Steve Lyttle
slyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
Citing extremely harsh weather, North Carolina transportation officials said Tuesday afternoon that Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border won’t be reopened until late April.
That is a month later than had been expected.
Crews have been working for nearly four months to repair a section of I-40 damaged in a large rock slide last Oct. 25. The project has included installing large metal bolts into the mountainside along I-40, to prevent additional problems.
But the mountain area has received 2 1/2 times its average annual snowfall, and officials say 17 inches of rain has fallen in the area since December.
“This has been an incredibly harsh winter, and because of that, the specialty contractors have not been able to do as much work as planned,” said Jon Nance, chief engineer of operations for the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Nance said the bad weather has allowed engineers to discover five additional sites that need work. Four of those sites are west of where the rock slide took place -- in other words, closer to the Tennessee border. The five site is about 1 1/2 miles east of where the rock slide took place. All five sites are on the portion of I-40 that is closed, so the additional repairs will not affect motorists.
Even when the highway is reopened, engineers say, one lane on the westbound side will remain closed until this summer so crews can complete installing the bolts and anchor mesh.
Nance said crews have taken advantage of the closure on I-40 to take on an additional $5.3 million in maintenance work. That includes:
-- Paving and maintenance of three tunnels within the closed section of the highway.
-- Repairs and maintenance to four bridges, include the bridge over White Oak Road in Haywood County.
-- Tree and brush maintenance and slope-mowing.
