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.
Contact: David Uchiyama
duchiyama@ncdot.gov
828-251-6171