SYLVA — Lights helped them see at night and layers of clothes kept
them warm at all hours of the day.
The N.C. Department of Transportation re-opened N.C. 28 in Graham
County on Friday after crews worked around the clock in grueling winter
conditions to open the road less than three months after a rockslide closed
it.
Crews from Graham County Land Company worked 24 hours per day since
Dec. 22 — with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
— to create a safe path for drivers between Fontana Dam and N.C. 143.
“We are delighted to have it open again so quickly after such a
large slide,” Division 14 Construction Engineer Ted Adams said. “It’s kind of
unbelievable how much work they were able to accomplish in such a short amount
of time and under such cold and wet conditions.”
A team finished repaving the road on Friday and removing detour
signs. Intermittent lane closures will be required — utilizing a flagger at both
ends to control traffic — to install fencing, a retaining wall and finalize the
project. A new surface and lane markings should be installed by the end of
March.
The slide occurred one mile east of Cable Cove Road following heavy
rains in December. NCDOT officials closed the road and assessed the situation.
Land experts determined that additional parts of the mountain would have to be
removed, and one week later, GCLC earned the bid and started working.
“They started excavating from the top down, then they hit hard rock
and we encouraged them to use a controlled blast,” Adams said. “Then things
moved much faster.”
Crews removed more than 20,000 cubic yards of material, enough to
fill more than 1,000 dual-axle dumptrucks. They excavated during the day then
worked under the lights at night to haul away the debris.
“We are very thankful for everyone using their patience during
project, and we are thankful to Graham County Land Company for their work,”
Adams said. “We are all glad to have it open for everybody to enjoy again.”
Additional: View a video
production of the blasting exercise by Killboy.com