Of the two state road projects in Marion County, Tennessee’s Guild community, one is ahead of schedule and wrapping up a month before its completion date, while the other’s completion date has become a big question mark.
The contractor on the $17.4 million slope stabilization project on U.S. Highway 41 on the north slope of Aetna Mountain is still working on the mile-long project, where the work area has completely changed the landscape as Dement Construction Co. crews work at four separate slide sites along the route. Problems began in December 2018, repairs started in January and the bids were opened in May.
“The contractor is working on excavation, soil nail installation, ‘shotcrete,’ horizontal drain installation and soil nail grouting at three of the four sites,” Flynn said. Inside the project area “the roadway is reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals controlling the one lane traffic.”
Although most traffic on that segment of highway usually is local motorists, it is an important route when needed as a detour for incidents on Interstate 24, Flynn said.
“TDOT has been dealing with slope stabilization issues on this route for years. We are pleased that this project will alleviate those issues in the future, making the route easier for our crews to maintain,” she said.