All I-40 Westbound lanes closed to traffic; Eastbound lanes unaffected

[Tennessee Viking]

UPDATE: Curtis at Standing Bear Farm advises for hiker vehicle traffic from the Asheville area to travel thru Hot Springs & Newport in order to reach his hostel.

http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/jan/31/all-lanes-closed-i-40-westbound-near-mile-marker-2-ar-1652912/

All lanes closed on I-40 Westbound, near mile marker 24, west of Asheville



By: PRESS RELEASE | TriCities.com
Published: January 31, 2012
» 0 Comments | Post a Comment
RALEIGH, N.C. --All westbound lanes of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee/North Carolina state line have been closed due to a rock slide that occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31.
All westbound lanes of travel are closed beginning at Exit 24 (near NC 209) just west of Asheville in Haywood County and continue into the State of Tennessee. The location of the rock slide is in Tennessee near exit 451. Motorists are being advised to stay alert and cautious.
Due to the lane closures, motorists traveling westbound on I-40 should use the alternate route below:
Westbound traffic travelling to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 west (Exit 53b) in Asheville, then to I-26 West (Exit 4a). Follow I-26 west from Asheville to I-81 south (Exit 8a) into Tennessee and back into I-40.
Eastbound traffic is currently unaffected by the rock slide.
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, removal and clean-up is expected to take at least two weeks.
Motorists can access updated roadway information by accessing the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s “Traveler Information Management System (TIMS) by accessing the following link:http://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/default.aspx. In addition, motorists may call 511 on the cellular phone. 511 uses an automated voice response system, which means callers are guided through a menu with a series of requests. Callers can ask for a specific area, and the system will provide information about traffic incidents, closures, and other important roadway conditions.

[Slo-go'en]

Didn't this also happen a couple of years ago? Same spot/area?

[curtisvowen]

Basically, within 3 miles West.
Skip going up to I-81 if you're wanting to continue on I-40 west, go through Hot Springs off of I-26 and you'll come out on I-40 at Newport, TN.

[ashevillain]

Didn't this also happen a couple of years ago? Same spot/area?

It has happened numerous times although it's in TN this time. It seems like the prior few have occurred on the NC side.

[Pedaling Fool]

I wonder if they'll be a little more hesitant to call the road safe and open it up after seeing what happened on I-75 near Gainsville, Fl. http://www.fairfaxrecklessdriving.co...-the-hospital/

[curtisvowen]

If you're a local, the LOs will let you travel west on I-40 as far as Exit 451.....for those wanting to get on the AT.

[Just a Hiker]

We were coming back from doing trail maintenance at Spivey Gap via I-26 Tuesday afternoon, and it was packed with 18 wheelers. We figured something had happened on I-40.

[curtisvowen]

TDOT subcontracted the work to a local firm that should start work on the slide today.
1-2 weeks for completion.....we'll see.

[doritotex]

TDOT subcontracted the work to a local firm that should start work on the slide today.
1-2 weeks for completion.....we'll see.

Where did you get the 1-2 weeks for completion? It was a minor slide and according to the TDOT.....
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has awarded an emergency contract to remove debris and unstable rock from Interstate 40 West near the North Carolina border. Currently, the westbound lanes of the interstate are closed at Exit 20 in North Carolina due to a rockslide in Tennessee. Phillips and Jordan, Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. was awarded the $59,350 contract. The contractor will begin work at the rockslide site Thursday afternoon. Weather permitting, TDOT anticipates reopening the interstate by Monday, Feb. 6.

It is a beautiful warm, clear day today, they should have no problem with the weather. Although it has been raining off and on for a few days, the slide area might be soft.

[curtisvowen]

Where did you get the 1-2 weeks for completion?

From an on site TDOT employee....office.

[/QUOTE]Weather permitting, TDOT anticipates reopening the interstate by Monday, Feb. 6. [/QUOTE]
If all goes well. Never know what the engineers will say.
7 days is a week....7th day will be the 9th....sorry we missed it by 2 days.

It is a beautiful warm, clear day today, they should have no problem with the weather. Although it has been raining off and on for a few days, the slide area might be soft.

[Hooch]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...lier-than.html

Tennessee officials say they'll be able to reopen the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 a week earlier than originally thought, vowing to have debris from a rockslide cleared by Monday.A rockslide Monday blocked the westbound lanes a short distance west of the Tennessee-North Carolina border. One boulder was described as the size of a house, and Tennessee Department of Transportation officials originally said it would be around Feb. 14 before the interstate highway would be open again.

But officials have awarded an emergency contract to a Knoxville-based company, which says it can clear the debris and unstable rock much quicker. I-40 currently is closed westbound at Exit 20 in North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Transportation is reminding residents that western N.C. tourist destinations such as Asheville, Cherokee, Waynesville, Maggie Valley and the Smoky Mountains remain accessible via I-40. But westbound traffic headed for Tennessee must detour I-40 in Asheville, using I-240, I-26, and I-81 back to I-40.

A rockslide on I-40 on the North Carolina side of the border in 2009 and 2010 closed I-40 for six months.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...#storylink=cpy

[Attila]

I had to drive around this rock slide on my way to Neels Gap in March 2010. Pretty good story on how Vanessa saved peoples life that day.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVYGJYnJTi0&feature=email

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39LCzBS8yOM&feature=email