ANOTHER SNARLThe Knoxville region of the Tennessee Department of Transportation continues to work on a major slide near mile marker 143 on Interstate 75 in Campbell County, Tenn., near the Kentucky state line, according to officials. I-75 South is shut down there, and the northbound side is limited to one lane. Officials said the target date for one southbound lane and a second northbound lane to reopen is Monday.
State and local officials say they’ll continue to monitor slide-prone areas of the Ocoee River Gorge’s road cut on U.S. Highway 64 in Polk County, Tenn., after a small rock slide near TVA’s No. 2 powerhouse temporarily closed one lane of the road overnight Tuesday.
The slide occurred about 4.5 miles from the area where a slide on Nov. 10, 2009, damaged the road and left tons of debris that kept U.S. 64 closed for more than five months, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation officials.
Rock slides can damage more than roads.
Another slide in April 2010 on the other side of the Ocoee River destroyed 60 to 70 feet of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s historic wooden flume built in 1912 to channel water from the river to its electrical powerhouse, newspaper archives show. That slide happened below TVA’s Ocoee Dam No. 2.