BRYSON CITY – A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will be shifting traffic on a one-mile section of U.S. 74 in Bryson City starting today.
Adams Contracting of Robbinsville will begin moving westbound traffic to pavement on the eastbound lanes resulting on traffic utilizing one lane in each direction starting at Hyatt Creek Road, exit 69.
The traffic shift will be in place as a precautionary measure while final designs and plans are completed on a project to repair a settling issue at Walker Mountain. Problems at this location received temporary repairs multiple times since the four-lane section opened in the early 1980s.
New engineering technology and materials associated with this repair will provide a long-term fix.
Traffic is expected to flow freely in the two-lane pattern with an average of less than 9,500 cars per day on that stretch of highway. A starting date for construction is yet to be determined.
General plans for this $4.9 million project call for removing the riding surface, excavating down about 20 feet, building a temporary support wall, and filling the area by alternating combination of light-density rock and high-tension fabric like a multi-layered cake.
NCDOT officials remind drivers to slow down, be alert and take precautions when driving in work zones, even when workers are not present.