Swananaoa River Section Damaged by Helene Opens

Asheville -- Traffic is now moving freely on Swannanoa River Road (N.C. 81) between Tunnel Road (U.S. 70) and Fairview Road in east Asheville after barricades were taken down.

The Swannanoa River was devastated by Hurricane Helene,less than 120 days later, the N.C. Department of Transportation and contract laborers finished a massive restoration project near the WNC Nature Center. Basically, a new road was built.

 

Starting with the removal of trees that had been strewn over the road like a box of toothpicks, the operations came to an end earlier this week when new traffic lights were temporarily powered. Workers cleared debris such as trees, dirt, cracked asphalt, and outdated building supplies in that brief period of time.

 

“After the storm, you could see where a road should be, but wasn’t,” NCDOT Resident Engineer Tom Veazey said. “Now, crews have restored the roadway to previous conditions, making it safe for travel once again.”

 

A Large rock was used to repair the roadbed, enabling the reconstruction of subterranean utilities. After that, fresh asphalt was applied on the graded stone base. New guardrails, pavement markings, and traffic lights were among the last works.

 

Partner agencies will carry out additional restoration efforts in this region, such as additional debris clearance and utilities restoration. In order to facilitate recovery efforts, drivers should expect to see lane closures on occasion throughout the next few weeks.

 

For continued renovation, other portions of Swannanoa River Road west of this one are still closed. The area is being restored by a number of federal, state, and local organizations clearing debris and repairing utilities."

 

WNCTimes

Source NCDOT

Image: WNCTimes