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$19.2 million slide repair project on U.S. 41 in Marion County finally complete

Contributed photo / The $19.2 million mile-long slide repair project on U.S. Highway 41 in Marion County, Tenn., is finally complete and open to traffic in both directions, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Shown here on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in a TDOT drone photo, the now-repaired section features new geomembrane-lined ditches and drainage systems to help divert enormous amounts of rain runoff that runs downhill toward the road. An access road parallels Highway 41 so crews can monitor drainage and perform other activities. The access road also will provide a site for water to discharge without washing away the slopes, TDOT says.
Contributed photo / The $19.2 million mile-long slide repair project on U.S. Highway 41 in Marion County, Tenn., is finally complete and open to traffic in both directions, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Shown here on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in a TDOT drone photo, the now-repaired section features new geomembrane-lined ditches and drainage systems to help divert enormous amounts of rain runoff that runs downhill toward the road. An access road parallels Highway 41 so crews can monitor drainage and perform other activities. The access road also will provide a site for water to discharge without washing away the slopes, TDOT says. Contributed photo / The $19.2 million mile-long slide repair project on U.S. Highway 41 in Marion County, Tenn., is finally complete and open to traffic in both directions, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Shown here on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in a TDOT drone photo, the now-repaired section features new geomembrane-lined ditches and drainage systems to help divert enormous amounts of rain runoff that runs downhill toward the road. An access road parallels Highway 41 so crews can monitor drainage and perform other activities. The access road also will provide a site for water to discharge without washing away the slopes, TDOT says.

By Ben Benton 6 min read

Commuters and local residents who drive U.S. Highway 41 between Guild and Riverside in Marion County, Tennessee, can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The almost $19. 2 million slide repair project is complete, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The road has been reopened to two lanes and traffic is finally flowing normally in both directions after almost two years of work that dramatically changed the landscape of a mile-long piece of Highway 41 on Aetna Mountain.

Both lanes of the two-way highway were opened to traffic Nov. 5, and no new problems complicated the project as it came to a close over the summer and fall, TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn said.

TDOT officials say the repairs will be long-lasting and the design will improve drainage and stabilize the earth beneath the road as it makes its path 12 miles or so around Aetna Mountain from the Marion-Hamilton county line to the Guild community on Nickajack Lake.

“As part of the project, we have re-established, reinforced and improved ditches and cross drains,” Flynn said. “The project also installed horizontal drains that go 80 to 100 feet into the slopes above and below the roadway in an effort to intercept and drain subsurface water in a controlled manner.”