Updated 11/21/2009 04:41 PM
Rock slide cleanup likely to affect holiday travel on I-40
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ASHVILLE, N.C. – Department of Transportation officials think I-40 west of Asheville could be closed until next spring. Crews are in the process of blasting parts of the rock face there that slid from as high as 900 feet in the air.
For information on routes and detours around the affected areas, visit the N.C. DOT Web site.
DOT crews have hauled 4,000 tons of rock out that slid down the face on Oct. 25.
Officials say nearly 40,000 cubic yards of rock came down in that initial slide. They say the amount of debris could fill 4,000 dump trucks.
To make the area safe for cars again, DOT Engineer Jamie Wilson predicts crews will clear 300,000 cubic yards of debris. Once the unstable rocks are gone, crews will bolt the rocks together to hold them in place.
Holiday drivers will have to plan ahead to find out what routes are available for holiday travel.
All traffic heading west on I-40 in Haywood County must get off at exit 20. DOT officials say detour signs directing traffic around the rock slide site are posted throughout the area, and state travel and tourism officials predict those detours will help business in other parts of western North Carolina.