Bonus Video: Rock Slide in Polk County Caught on Tape

    Our crew of Bill Mitchell and Allen Fairbanks were standing on Highway 64, shooting the rock slide from this morning.

    Then engineers rushed them out of the road, saying the bank was unstable.

    So Allen quickly set up his camera and shot this amazing video.

Release from TDOT:

U.S. 64 in Polk County is closed at mile marker 17.6 due to a major rock slide near the Ocoee 2 Dam.  A portion of the mountainside slid into the roadway at approximately 6:00 a.m. ET this morning.  Another slide occurred this afternoon at approximately 1:00 p.m. ET further complicating removal efforts.  TDOT maintenance forces are on the scene removing as many rocks and materials as possible with their equipment.  Meanwhile, the department has entered into an emergency contract with Wright Brothers Construction of Charleston, TN to remove the larger rocks.  TDOT Geotechnical personnel are also on site to determine the stability of slopes in the area and the potential for further slides.  The roadway will remain closed until further notice, but could be closed for more than a week.

Motorists traveling to the area from Chattanooga or Cleveland should take I-75 North to Exit 60 (SR-68, Sweetwater) and follow SR-68 South through McMinn County and into Ducktown in Polk County.  Those traveling from North Carolina are advised to take US-74 to SR-68 North at Ducktown through McMinn County then onto I-75 at Sweetwater in Monroe County.

For more information on this or any other TDOT road construction project or for weather-related road closure information, visit the TDOT Web site's dynamic TDOT SmartWay Information System at http://www.tn.gov/tdot/tdotsmartway/.  Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone to access valuable information about travel conditions anytime, or log on to www.TN511.com.  TDOT is also on Twitter.  For up to date traffic information for the Region Two area follow Chattanooga511 on Twitter or follow TN511 for statewide updates.