From the city of Asheville:
ASHEVILLE – As City of Asheville crews continue to address roadways affected by landslides during recent record-breaking rains, contractors began work Tuesday on two sites where landslide damage was more extensive.
Spooks Branch Road and an area near the intersection of Skyview Place and Sunset Drive, all in North Asheville, experienced landslides earlier this month due to heavy rains. Both instances resulted in lane or road closures.
Assessment of the projects’ scope began as soon as weather and the soil stability on site permitted. Because of the magnitude of their damage, the Skyview and Spooks Branch locations required working with outside contractors.
“We initiated an aggressive schedule,” said Streets and Engineering Services Manager Greg Shuler.
During the bank restoration and repair, some road and lane closures are expected. During that time, barricades and markers will be used to indicate road or lane closures. In the interest of public safety, motorists are asked to observe markers and not move or drive around barricades. A section of Spooks Branch Road will be closed for approximately three weeks, with periodic single lane closures over the following few weeks. Skyview Place and Sunset Drive are also currently closed to through traffic. Surrounding residences may also experience occasional water interruptions during construction. See water service interruption information at http://www.ci.asheville.nc.us/Departments/Water/WaterOutages.aspx.
Work is expected to be completed at Spooks Branch Road on September 21, and at Skyview Place on October 21.
City of Asheville Public Works crews are working to remediate several other landslide sites in the Town Mountain and Beaverdam Valley areas. In all, landslides affected nearly 20 sites in the city. As of Thursday morning, city crews had completed work on eight of those locations.
Three landslides that have more extensive damage are currently being evaluated by geotechnical engineers to determine the scope of the repair, and will likely require the assistance of outside contractors. In those three cases, right-of-way and private property issues call for extra due diligence, Shuler said.
“It is important to make sure that this is done the right way and that we do things with respect to the property owners,” Shuler said.
For updates on storm-related repair projects, go to ashevillenc.gov.
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