FRANKLIN – There’s no joke about this tree falling in the woods.
Crews from the N.C. Department of Transportation will remove a tree from an embankment beside U.S. 64 in the Cullasaja Gorge on Monday, Oct. 28, to eliminate the possibility of the tree causing damage.
Flaggers will be in position at 9 a.m. on Monday morning to direct drivers bound for Highlands to utilize Buck Creek Road around the maintenance operation and into Highlands. Drivers heading to Franklin will be diverted to Buck Creek or N.C. 106 down the mountain. No drivers will be allowed between Jackson Hole Gem Mine and Highlands Gap Drive.
“We will be installing the road closure after peak hours and have it open just after lunch time,” Macon County maintenance engineer Mark Hill said. “It would take us longer to mobilize, set the equipment, and remove the tree than it would to establish a full detour.”
Crews will rise in a bucket truck to remove the overhanging tree from an embankment in sections so it does not damage existing guardrail or other infrastructure.
Commercial trucks are not allowed on this section of U.S. 64. Residents and local traffic may access side roads off U.S. 64 from their respective sides.