The grueling commute from East Polk to work, doctors office, and school will continue for another 11 weeks before the Nov. 10 rockslide can be cleared off Hwy. 64. Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced last week that work will be completed by March 31.  TDOT originally estimated clean-up would take at least eight weeks.

In addition to adding to the burden of commuters, the new deadline will force a change to the beginning of whitewater rafting, which normally  starts in mid-March. TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn said repairs to the ramp will be made when the debris is cleared from the road and river.  “The put-in will be in good shape before we leave the area in March,” she said.

After several weeks of work at the site, crews have successfully removed approximately 6,000 cubic yards of debris and have stabilized the portion of Little Frog Mountain located immediately west of the slide.  Crews must now work to stabilize the area immediately east of the slide, which is complicated by the presence of the TVA Dam directly beneath the unstable rock shelf.

 “Crews must work safely, quickly and carefully around the TVA Dam, which was originally built in the early 1900s, in order to ensure public safety,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely.  “We understand the hardship this has placed on residents of Copperhill and Ducktown who must continue driving a considerably longer route to reach the other side of the slide and we will continue to work closely with the contractor to reopen the roadway as quickly as possible.”

Workers used blasting and scaling (hand removal of loose rocks and debris) to stabilize the western side of the slope.  On the eastern side, a large, diagonal rock shelf about 22 feet thick must be stabilized before material can be removed from the roadway beneath it.  Workers must use small controlled blasts to split the rock shelf in order to reduce the possibility of a second large rockslide, which would likely impact the TVA Ocoee Dam No. 2.  Crews will also drive large 40-foot long rock anchors into the rock to secure it in place.

Once all the rock is stabilized, workers will begin removing the large boulders at the bottom of the mountain.  The contractor will then repair the damaged roadbed and TDOT crews will repave U.S. 64 and reopen it to traffic. Currently the contractor is working only during daylight hours because of the treacherous nature of the work, said TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges. As rock drilling progresses and safety improves, the contractor plans to move to a 24-hour a day schedule in order to reopen the roadway as quickly as possible, he said.

TDOT originally estimated some 30,000 cubic yards of material would need to be removed from the site, but has revised that estimate to 15,000 cubic yards of debris to be removed, of which 6,000 cubic yards has already been hauled from the site.

While the road is closed TDOT maintenance crews are working to improve some areas along the U.S. 64 corridor by reinforcing shoulders and removing other potentially loose and hanging rock from the slopes in other areas. Removing rocks and material from the sides of some of the sharper curves also improved the safety and sight distance along the roadway.

TDOT has created a special web page for the U.S. 64 rockslide (http://bit.ly/1Tlc8m) that includes news releases, photos and a map of the slide detour.  TDOT has also posted progress updates, updated photos, periodical video updates and a live time-lapse camera of work at the site.  A link to the site is available at www.polknewsonline.com. Due to the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the work, no one will be allowed on the work site without a TDOT escort.