I-40 at NC/TN line closed Rock Slide in Smoky Mountains

[Midwest Michael]

Adding to your NC/TN Rockslide fun, add US-127 in Tennessee to the list.

The road south of Chilhowee (near Smokey Mountains NP), apparently known locally as the Dragon, is closed because of another rockslide.

And for future reference, if there are cop cars and tv crews getting video of a rockslide and you are looking at the tv crews, and not the road, you might not see the big pile of boulders blocking your path! But the tv cameras will have recorded your stupidity for all the world to see.

[Lifemagician]

And if the cops and TV were already there, why had the road not been closed??

Lifey

[Mark Sedenquist]

You really got to wonder about some people -- My first thought was that the driver was drunk.

By the way, the Dragon is a very famous road -- here's an article I wrote about it a "side effect" of that road!

Mark

[Foy]

........but I'll guess the "first responders" had just arrived more or less simultaneous with the news camera crew and had not had opportunity to erect traffic barriers yet.

OR

....the driver was so distracted by the roadside commotion (film crew, police) he drove right through the roadblock. If he was so distracted he didn't see the rockslide itself, there's no telling what else he failed to see.

Clearly there's some sort of cosmic interference preventing travel from Tennessee to North Carolina, and vice-versa. Perhaps the Georgia and Virginia tourism agencies are executing a fiendish plot.

Oh, and I think the motorcyclists call that segment "Tail of the Dragon".

Foy

[Foy]

RoadTrippers;
The latest from NCDOT is I-40 is expected to reopen on 27 April, next week. It is expected both eastbound lanes will be open, but that westbounders will see single-lane travel for around 3 miles as work continues for some time to come, perhaps will into summertime.

Visit the Raleigh TV stations's website at www.wral.com for details.

Foy

[glc]

It's now open. Both eastbound lanes are open, but only one westbound lane. The second westbound lane looks like it will remain closed through the whole summer.

[smokymtntraveler]

earlier post from Agry stated that 127 in Tennessee is closed, it is actually US 129 from North Carolina to Tennessee on the western edge of the National Park. The road will be closed until July 2010 to clear a land slide. The other routes through the Park are US 441 and I-40 which is now open.

[monty]

does any one know what the up date is on I 40 rock slide? Is it open yet? do they know when it will be open??

thanks,

Monty

[Southwest Dave]

Monty,

As per the report in post 36, the road is open with some restrictions as they continue to make good the area.