SYLVA — A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will start Monday, February 5, on a project to remove vegetation along U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge.
The project will prevent damage to larger vehicles, reduce the frequency of road closures due to fallen limbs and improve the overall serviceability of the highway between N.C. 28 and the Swain/Macon County line.
“Over the past few years, trees and limbs have regularly fallen into the road and created dangerous hazards,” Division 14 Staff Maintenance Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “We have also heard from truck drivers who struck low limbs that dented trailers or cooling units.”
Crews from Burchfield’s Tree Service in Robbinsville will work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays for 8-10 weeks to complete the job.
“We are doing this work during a slower time of year for the recreational businesses,” said Grindstaff. “We will try limit delays for visitors and everyday travelers.”
Drivers should expect 15-30 minute delays when the road is closed in sections. Traffic will be controlled with flaggers on both sides of the active work zone with a pilot vehicle leading cars at regular intervals. Motorists may choose to travel through Graham County and around the work zone by using N.C. 28, N.C. 143 and U.S. 129.
The NCDOT bases its brush and tree management program on the roadside safety of the travelling public along its highways.
“We will mostly be trimming back overhanging limbs,” Grindstaff said. “In some places, it’s thick like a canopy.”
Once trimmed, the debris belongs to the contractor and should not be collected by anybody without approval. Stopping on the highway creates an additional hazard and violators could be cited.
Motorists in the Nantahala Gorge are to obey the flaggers, follow the pilot vehicle, and remain on the highway.
Visit
www.DriveNC.gov for real-time traffic information and follow NCDOT on
Twitter.