Gorge Road reopens

  • Photo by Patrick Taylor US64 reopened to vehicle traffic on Tuesday night following nearly a month of repairs to fix a section of road that was compromised by a landslide on Jan. 9. According to NCDOT officials, the repairs cost approximately $270,000.
    Photo by Patrick Taylor US64 reopened to vehicle traffic on Tuesday night following nearly a month of repairs to fix a section of road that was compromised by a landslide on Jan. 9. According to NCDOT officials, the repairs cost approximately $270,000.

    Following the completion of more than $275,000 worth of repairs, US64 was once again opened to vehicle traffic on Tuesday night.

    NC Department of Transportation crews reopened the road at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday and signaled the end to a nearly month-long closure. NCDOT Communications Officer David Uchiyama said Tuesday morning crews planned to complete the repairs and reopen the road to traffic.

    “We are obviously very excited to see the Gorge Road reopened and that critical link between Highlands and Franklin back in use,” Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor said. “Public Works Director Lamar Nix and I got the chance to go down there and look at the repairs and the amount of work that’s been done in less than a month is incredible. Our hats off to the NCDOT crews who put in so many hours to get the road back open.”

    Heavy rains caused a landslide under an 80-foot section of Highlands Road on Jan. 9. NCDOT closed the road between Buck Creek Road and Brush Creek Road, cutting off one of the main routes between Franklin and Highlands. The $275,000 or repairs were to stabilize the bank beneath the road, replacing several old drainage pipes, clearing ditches, trimming overhanging limbs and longarm mowing overgrown vegetation.

    US64 serves as the main artery between Highlands and Franklin. Because of the housing market in Highlands, much of the town’s workforce lives in outlying communities and commutes to work each day with a majority of those workers coming from the Franklin area.

    While US64 was being repaired, motorists were detoured up Buck Creek Road, which is not meant for heavy traffic. An alternative route along US 441 south to NC 106 was recommended for any large vehicles such as dump trucks.

    “A lot of people have expressed their concern about the Gorge Road being closed and asked me about the timetable for it reopening,” Taylor said. “It’s such a heavily-trafficked route and we all know how important it is to Highlands and those who live and work here. This most recent closure has really emphasized that importance.”