BRYSON CITY – N.C. Department of Transportation crews have cleared and reopened U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge after a slide closed the highway on Friday night.
Crews diverted water from the mountain to a ditch and pipe to prevent road erosion overnight. They arrived at sunrise Saturday and began clearing the road by using an excavator to fill six dump trucks that circulated between the slide and fill location.
Local NCDOT officials removed the barricades before 3 p.m. on Saturday, less than 18 hours after the slide occurred. Drivers desiring to go through the Gorge were routed through Robbinsville.