Entire Dragon now closed from state line to the Blockhouse Airport.
TDOT reports that "long-term" bids are being sent out to explosive demolition companies linked to the September 11 terrorist massacres, again. Another 6-month demolition and "cleanup" costing taxslaves $10-million?
Knoxville News Sentinel
March 16, 2012
Rock slide cleanup on 'The Dragon' extends to next week
A section of U.S. 129 called "The Dragon" will be closed until early next week to through traffic because of a 60-foot-high rock slide this morning, according to state officials.
The slide was reported at 4:54 a.m. on the road, which also is called Calderwood Highway, according to the Blount County E-911 Center.
The slide is near the Power House along "The Dragon." Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesman Mark Nagi said the slide is about nine miles north of the North Carolina state line.
TDOT has sent crews to the site to determine the severity of the slide. Nagi said the slide is 125 feet long, more than 60-feet high and is covering about 14 feet of the pavement. The slide consists of shale, top soil and trees.
"The cleanup to open SR 115 (U.S. 129) to traffic is expected to last until early next week," Nagi said.
Nagi said TDOT crews will remove the slide debris and then send in specialists who will be tasked with developing a long-term fix for the problem. That work may be bid out to a private firm on an emergency basis.
Cars and motorcyclists can continue to use the road from the North Carolina side, and will be assisted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol at turnaround points, Nagi said. TDOT maintenance crews will have detour maps available for drivers encountering the blockage.
On the Tennessee side, however, U.S. 129 will remain closed to all traffic from just south of the Foothills Parkway to the site of the slide, Nagi said.
Nagi said TDOT and its North Carolina counterpart have placed message on connector routes alerting drivers of the slide.
Nagi said about 1,265 vehicles a day use the portion of U.S. 129 at the Blount and Monroe counties line.
The road has been called The Dragon because of the more than 300 curves along the route that attract motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.
TDOT suggested detours include:
From North Carolina - Motorists travelling on U.S. 74 can take State Route 68 north to Ducktown. Continue on SR-68 through Polk and Monroe Counties to I-75 in Sweetwater.
Non-commercial drivers travelling on State Route 143 in North Carolina will continue to travel north onto State Route 165 to Tellico Plains to State Route 68 north to U.S. 411 (State Route 35) toward Maryville.
Non-commercial drivers also can use U.S. 441 to travel through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Cherokee, North Carolina. For road closures on U.S. 441 through the Smokies, motorists can call (865) 436-1200.
‘The Dragon’ closed by rock slide
Iva Butler
Maryville Daily Times
At approximately 6 a.m. Tennessee Depaartment of Transportation was notified of a rock slide at mile marker 9.5 on the portion of U.S. 129 known as The Dragon.
The slide is blocking the northbound and southbound lanes of the two-lane road, according to Mark Nagi. TDOT community relations officer.
TDOT geotechnical engineers are on he scene and TDOT maintenance crews are bringing equipment to clear the roadway.
One lane is blocked by a large rock, the other blocked by trees uprooted from the slide.
TDOT: Rock slide closes 'The Dragon' for weekend
Knoxville News Sentinel
A section of U.S. 129 called "The Dragon" will be closed through the weekend because of a 60-foot-high rock slide this morning, according to state officials.
The slide was reported at 4:54 a.m. on the road, which also is called Calderwood Highway, according to the Blount County E-911 Center.
The slide is near the Power House along "The Dragon." The road that runs into North Carolina is entirely closed, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesman Mark Nagi.
TDOT has sent crews to the site to determine the severity of the slide. Nagi said the slide is 125 feet long and 60-feet tall and consists of shale, top soil and trees.
"Early estimate for the time of this closure is throughout the weekend," Nagi said. "But that is just an estimate."
There is no detour route. Nagi said there is room for unaware motorists to turn around at the blocked point [unless you're driving a tractor trailer].
Nagi said about 1,265 vehicles a day use the portion of U.S. 129 at the Blount and Monroe counties line.
The road has been called The Dragon because of the more than 300 curves along the route that attract motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.
Tractor trailer roadtrain crashes on the Dragon
'Dragon' reopened after rockslide
March 20, 2012
TALLASSEE — Dragons of myth and legend had a habit of breathing fire at their enemies.
Tennessee's "Dragon" doesn't do that, but it will occasionally throw a rock at you, and that is what crews from the Tennessee Department of Transportation finished cleaning up Tuesday.
Dozens of dump truck loads of rock, dirt and fallen trees had been removed from a site where a hillside collapse occurred Friday on U.S. Highway 129, blocking a road popular with sports car and motorcycle enthusiasts. The road, referred to as "The Dragon," features 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch.
The rock slide occurred a couple of miles from the Foothills Parkway in Blount County at a place where the road has a steep hill above it on one side and a 50-foot drop-off on the other.
TDOT workers used heavy equipment to remove the debris and to bring down additional rock and soil from the hillside that might later fall.
Mark Nagi, a TDOT community relations officer, said the final touches on the cleanup were completed at 5 p.m. Tuesday and the road was reopened.
TDOT geotechnical personnel will continue to evaluate the area to determine if further measures may be necessary to stabilize the hill.
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