ALL APPEARS ON TRACK FOR THE JULY 27TH COMPLETION DATE     

Progress appears to be on track clearing that massive landslideoff Highway 9 at Shumond Road near Bat Aave.

The slide, which as closed highway since the heavy rains, flooding, and mudslides this spring brought down a huge chunck off the backside of Bald Mountain onto the highway, resulted in a detour that is causing motorists who use Highway 9 for a daily commute to drive about another 50 miles both ways. NC 9 connects the Bat Cave-Hickory Nut Gorge area on one end with the Old Fort and Black Mountain area on the other.

In addition to tons of dirt, the mud slide brought with it score of trees...and the logs from those trees are now being burned by NC DOT and the contractor as part of the clearing process.

Crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the contractor were burning the displaced logs that have been removed from the road....that burning was taking place last week.   

David Uchiyama with NC DOIT said this is a common practice for non-urban areas and it is safe.

Urchiyama said that according to the engineers involved, this style of burning is where you’re adding extra air flow, so it “reduces the smoke greatly in the area,”

He also said the intermittent rain in that area last week was a benefit to the burning and clearing.

“A brief rainstorm here, a little shower there or even a constant light rain adds to the safety of the burning system that we have going on.”.

He says the DOT also reached out to people living nearby, the local fire department and business owners letting them know the plan.

Once the logs are burned, he says the rocks at the top of the hill, an estimated 180 yards up, will be taken care of.

He says they are still on track to finish by the July 27 target date.

The road remains closed...and that applies to foot traffic and sight-seers as well, says NC DOT.