DOT’s Round-The-Clock Effort Results In Return To Normal For 321 Traffic

U.S. 321 south of Blowing Rock is now open again after a massive construction effort dealt with a rock slide that hampered traffic for nearly two weeks.
Both lanes of traffic opened back up Tuesday at 5 p.m., 13 days after a rock slide lead to lane closings and delays on Watauga County’s most convenient route to Hickory, Gastonia, and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which should be good news for holiday travelers.
Traffic was reduced to one lane for over a week as engineers studied the slide, then a massive demolition and round-the-clock hauling effort that was expected to take at least two weeks was completed in a matter of days.
N.C. Department of Transportation district engineer Kip Turner credited coordination and effort by a number of agencies with the efficient completion of the task. N.C. Department of Corrections inmates also helped with the cleanup.
Turner said, "When this slide first began, it appeared to be only a minor slide cleanup that would last about a day and a half. Of course, after further geotechnical analysis it turned into a much more complex project that looked like it could carry us to end of the year. The challenges and uncertainty involved in removing rock and other unstable material from the cut slope above US 321 by use of explosives and excavation made it difficult to estimate how this project would proceed.”
Turner said additional challenges included the close proximity of several homes near the slide area and an overhead power line. “Although it was an emergency project, I am pleased at just how smooth this process went,” Turner said. “There were around 1,000 truckloads of material hauled from the site with over 40 pieces of equipment and 120 people involved in the effort to get traffic restored back to two lanes before Christmas. Fortunately, we have NCDOT and contractor personnel who are willing to sacrifice their time and work long hours, especially with Christmas approaching, in order to ensure the safety and convenience of the public.”
Turner said, giving the holiday rush, the mood of workers was upbeat. “Many of them have missed a great deal of family time over the past two weeks so that this project could be completed as safe and as soon as possible. Even under the tough working conditions, I can say I heard no complaining from any of those working on this project.”
Though final costs aren’t in yet, the project is expected to cost over $1 million. Minor cleanup will continue over the next few weeks, but shouldn’t add major delays for travelers.
Both lanes of traffic were closed beginning Friday morning so explosives could free up rock and debris that were in danger of sliding into the road. A coordinated effort involving private contractors and several DOT departments led to the quick reopening.
The slide, about a half mile below Blowing Rock, had led to delays of up to 30 minutes as traffic was reduced to one lane. While the road was completely closed, traffic from Watauga Country was routed onto a detour through North Wilkesboro.
The slide occurred on the third phase of the U.S. 321 widening project, putting responsibility for the cleanup on the DOT. Work continues on the second phase of the project, which will eventually provide a four-lane highway between Blowing Rock and Lenoir.
Three years ago, a slide closed U.S. 321 for a month and cost $1.3 million to repair.