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The Unofficial |
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The Unofficial |
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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. Except for an inch of pavement that will be added on the northbound lanes south of US 19, everything is completed on this project.
A-10C
As of August 31, 2000, 22,388,000 cubic yards of excavation has been moved since October 1996. This is over 90% of the projected total.
Over 43,680 tons of erosion control stone has been used so far, which is far over the amount originally estimated. Only a few hundred tons of stone has been used this summer, partly because the weather has been fairly dry and partly because most of the erosion control devices are already installed.
The presplitting quantity (the creation of smooth finished planes in solid rock by blasting) is now up to over 126,700 square yards. The cuts are complete everywhere but the most northern cut, which has the majority of excavation left on the project. Over 630,000 square yards of erosion control matting has been used on this project, a increase over the estimated amount by more than 10 times (estimated amount of 36,000 sy). The reason for the enormous overrun is simple; every soil slope has had erosion control matting placed on it when it was completed to hold it in place, and the initial estimate did not provide for this use. The contractor has begun installing masonry drainage structures (the drop inlets and catch basins along the ditches). So far he has begun installing 80 out of the 384 on the project.
The big cuts at Area 2 and Buckner Gap are completed, and only the side hill cut south of the interchange at Bear Branch Road and Area 5 (the big cut north of the interchange) are left to dig out. This material is being hauled over 4 miles south to the fill around Jarvis Road, which is still being constructed. The welcome center location is also being filled in as well.
The fill north of Jarvis Road, as I said above, is about the last embankment left to construct on A-10C. There is probably 25' left to build up, along with the escape ramp in this area.
Material is being added to the first waste site to make it ready for the construction of the rest area. The design of the rest area has begun and will provide parking for personal vehicles, RV's and trailers, and commercial vehicles. The welcome center building itself will be elevated above the parking areas and a scenic overlook will be constructed along the ridge behind it to provide a great view of the Black Mountains and Mount Mitchell. North of Buckner Gap, the excavation and construction of the Bear Branch interchange is continuing. The ramps are being graded and the bridge has had the deck poured, with the rails to be completed soon. Grading is taking place both north and south of the interchange. There is concern that the contractor may not have enough soil to cover over the buttresses and build up the embankments and welcome center locations. Due to the wasting of a large amount of rock excavation in Waste Area #2, the amount of soil to be wasted is almost nil. Hopefully there will be enough material to finish the project without having to go back into the waste site, but if necessary, this is what will take place.
A-10D
As of August 31, 2000, about 7,830,700 cubic yards of excavation has been removed since 1997. This is almost all of the total amount for the whole project. The excavation is now coming from the big cut just north of the Laurel Creek Bridge; everything else except at the very north end is completed.
Over 279,800 square yards of erosion control matting has been used on this project, a large increase over the 11,000 square yards estimated to be required. Like A-10C, all soil cuts and fills when completed have erosion control matting placed on them, which has tremendously increased the use of this quantity. Just over 8,300 square yards of presplitting quantity has been completed, and just 2 masonry drainage structures out of 140 required.
The Laurel Creek Bridge is rapidly taking shape. Three of the four caps have been poured, and the last one will be poured in September or October. Once this is done and everything is tested and approved, the steel will be brought in and beam assembly and installation will begin. This should begin in October.
North of the bridge, Wright Brothers has very nearly completed the excavation on this project. Only the massive cut just north of the Laurel Creek Bridge and some minor excavation near the TN State Line remains to be finished. A big rock buttress just north of the Laurel Creek Bridge is under construction as well, to keep the fill out of the Little Laurel Creek. The other cuts and fills appear to be completed and have been seeded and revegetated. Many of these can be seen from US 23 as you come down from the TN State Line. The US 23 bridge near the TN line has had the substructure completed, and beam installation should begin soon. The animal crossing (an 8'x8' concrete culvert) is being constructed as well.
Previous Project Updates:
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