The Unofficial
I-26 Construction
Madison County
North Carolina
Pages

The project between Mars Hill and US 19 is complete. All the signs, paint striping, fencing and paving has been finished and traffic is now using the road. The contractor will have to return in the spring to place thermoplastic pavement markings once the weather warms up, but that's all that is left to do.

A-10C

As of the first of January 2000, 18,241,000 cubic yards of excavation has been moved since October 1996. This is about 78% of the total amount on the project. About 1,900,000 cubic yards of undercut excavation has been removed and disposed of also.

Over 42,800 tons of erosion control stone has been used so far, which is far over the amount originally estimated. This is due in part to the rainy winters in the region, but also because the sheer size of this project was difficult to comprehend initially.

The presplitting quantity (the creation of smooth finished planes in solid rock by blasting) is now up to over 48,500 square yards. This sounds like a lot, but there are over 150,000 square yards of presplitting for the whole project, so the contractor is still a long way from completion.

Most of the work is still concentrating on the area between Buckner Gap and Jarvis Road, where the largest fills and cuts are located. The deep fill south of Area #1 is nearly filled in, and the scenic overlook is being graded. The rock embankment between Areas #2 and 3 is being constructed, and the haul road has been relocated onto this fill. Buckner Gap (Area #3) is excavated down about 200' with most of the excavation on the project taking place here at this time.

The fill is complete on the section from US 19 to Higgins Branch Road. North Main Street is now relocated over to Higgins Branch Road and in operation. Jarvis Road has been relocated parallel to the interstate to connect to Higgins Branch Road, and the old Jarvis Road location is being filled in. The fill slopes are seeded and heavy stands of grass are now growing on them. The bridges over Higgins Branch Road are completed as well, and the damaged bridge has been repaired. Some surface drainage structures and pipes are being installed in the area around Higgins Branch Road now.

North of Buckner Gap, the grading for the Bear Branch Road realignment is continuing. Clearing and soil removal operations are starting. The Bear Branch Road bridge is completed and traffic is now using the new structure. The relocation of Bear Branch Road isn't completed yet, so traffic has to take a temporary connecting route from the bridge to the existing road still. The fill for the I-26 bridge crossing over Bear Branch Road is in place and some of the foundations for that bridge have begun.

A-10D

As of the middle of October, 1999, about 5,740,000 cubic yards of excavation has been removed since 1997. This is 65% of the total amount for the whole project. Over 775,000 cubic yards of undercut excavation has been removed so far.

Over 9,100 tons of erosion control stone has been used on this project so far, out of a total of 10,000 tons. The erosion control experts recognized they had underestimated the amount needed on the first project, and were determined not to do so on this one.

About 3,100 square yards of presplitting has been completed on A-10D, out of a total of 23,500 square yards. While the contractor has found rock since October, the material hasn't been of a hard enough quality to require presplitting.

The Laurel Creek Bridge is proceeding steadily. The tallest column is completed, but the cap has not been poured yet. The contractor does not want to pour this massive structure until he has enough daylight to finish the work at one time, so the cap may not be poured until March. The other columns are all under construction, and the northernmost one is completed but does not have the cap framework on it yet.