BAT CAVE — Additional analysis of a landslide on N.C. 9 in
Henderson County by N.C. Department of Transportation engineers and geotechnical
staff on Wednesday revealed new — and some obvious — information regarding the
slide.
It is big.
“It’s similar to a slide this past winter on N.C. 28 in Graham
County,” Division 14 Construction Engineer Ted Adams said. “ “Only, this slide
is bigger.
“It goes all the way to the top of the mountain, and somewhere in
between there is a 20-foot high sheer cut.”
Many other facts are buried in the rocks, dirt and trees that
tumbled down the mountain in the early-morning hours on Tuesday.
It is impossible to estimate the volume of debris in the slide, how
many thousands of tons of material will need to be removed, or how long the
process will take.
Transportation officials will host an on-site meeting with
potential contractors on Thursday and hopefully award a contract for the repairs
on Friday.
A better guestimate on the project timeline may be available next
week. NCDOT geologists and the contractor will continue their analysis with
photogrammetry and other tools to help develop a plan.
An early part of the plan will involve building a new road into the
side of the mountain in order to move heavy equipment into position. It’s
impossible to pass on the road and will remain so until the project is near
completion.
“The only way to safely remove all of the material is to start at
the top and work down,” Adams said. “If you started at the bottom, the top would
come down on you.”
Watch video of
the aftermath.
Contact: David Uchiyama
duchiyama@ncdot.gov
(828) 251-6171