SUBMITTED By BOB MILLER
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Equipment loads the last bit of slide debris as other workers prepare to extend jersey barrier wall to maintain one-lane traffic past slide site on Monday, Feb. 8. (Photo courtesy of National Park Service)
By the morning of Monday, Feb. 8, Charles Blalock and Sons workers had cleared away all the fallen rock, dirt and trees from Friday’s slide on the southbound Pigeon Forge – Gatlinburg Spur. Park officials believe that the slope above the slide site is now stabilized, but as a precaution, jersey barriers will funnel south-bound traffic into the left lane away from the rock face for several weeks to allow time for any remaining material to come down.
Tonight (Monday, Feb. 8) between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. workers from the Park, TDOT, Blalock and Sons, and Pigeon Forge will be working together to remove all the cones, barriers and signs that were installed last Friday to detour all the south-bound traffic towards Gatlinburg via the Huskey Grove Road overpass. When they finish tonight, traffic flow will be exactly the same as it was prior to the Friday slide. Tonight’s work was scheduled at 7:00 p.m. to avoid heavier commuter and school-related traffic, but delays are likely so motorists are advised to plan around that work period or take an alternate route to avoid the Spur.
