10:31 p.m. February 27, 2013
Contractors working hard to meet May 15 deadline for Newfound Gap Road repairs

By Jeaneane Payne

Contractors Phillips & Jordan, Inc. (P&J) of Robinsville, NC are lining the base of the road with rock and will fill the area with 4,000 dump trucks of material before reconstructing the road itself.

Construction workers are extremely busy making repairs to Newfound Gap Road where a major landslide occurred on January 16, 2013. Not wasting a minute and working around-the-clock, they are laying rock to form a solid base for the new road, hauling in fill dirt, and preparing a large section so that erosion control can be put into place.

The landslide caused a 200 linear foot gap in the road. Debris from the slide ran 900 yards (3 times the length of a football field) and contained 90,000 cubic yards of material.

Contractors Phillips & Jordan, Inc. (P&J) of Robinsville, NC are lining the base with rock and will fill the area with 4,000 dump trucks of material before reconstructing the road itself. At a cost of $3,989,890.00 and a completion date set of May 15, 2013, the reconstruction is moving along smoothly.

The first phase of the project was completed by APAC -Atlantic, Harrison Division who developed an access road to the slide area, removed debris, and stabilized the slope above the work area. "There were no delays in Phase I despite rainfall" said Park spokeswoman Molly Schroer. "Road work is being done from the North Carolina side of the road because it is less like to fall through."

Although funding is set aside by regional Park services, Schroer said a request had been put in by Great Smoky Mountains National Park for funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA). ER funds are available from the FHA for the repair of Federal-aid highways or roads on Federal lands that have been seriously damaged by natural disasters over a wide area or by catastrophic failures from an external cause including a landslide.

The park is moving forward on re-vegetating the three acre debris field with native species to aid in sediment and erosion control. This measure will prevent run off from draining into the Beech Flats Prong stream located just below the slide area.

Schorer stated "Highway 441 has been surveyed since the landslide occurred to ensure no other area poses a problem."

While the access from Gatlinburg to Cherokee will remained closed during the construction period, Newfound Gap Road is open from the Gatlinburg, TN entrance to Newfound Gap, and from Cherokee, NC entrance to Smokemont Campground. Visitors who want to sightsee and recreate in the park will still find opportunities through both entrances.

Published February 27, 2013

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• Landslide causes indefinite closure of Newfound Gap Road