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State transportation officials confirmed Tuesday that it probably will be late January or early February before a section of Interstate 40 blocked by a rock slide last weekend is opened to traffic again.
Officials also estimated it could cost up to $10 million to repair the road and said Gov. Beverly Perdue will ask for federal aid in paying the bill.
A pile of rocks 150 feet high and 200 to 300 feet wide covers I-40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, forcing motorists in the Charlotte metro region to detour about 50 miles to reach Tennessee destinations. The slide happened early Sunday morning, and no injuries were reported.
Transportation officials Tuesday outlined a three-step plan for clearing the road:
Removing unstable rocks in the lower and middle sections of the slide, and blasting large boulders that fell.
Using pieces of blasted boulders and other rocks removed to build a ramp up the side of the mountain. A pulley system will lift special equipment up the ramp.
Crews will remove rock, from the top down.
Once the debris is removed, officials say, they will lay a temporary asphalt surface on the road. A permanent surface will be installed next spring, once the weather warms sufficiently.
Jon Nance, chief engineer of operations for the N.C. Department of Transportation, said engineers have decided against opening any lanes until all the work is completed, due to safety concerns.
The official detour takes motorists off I-40 westbound, onto I-240 West in Asheville, then I-26 West to I-81 in Tennessee. The detour follows I-81 back to I-40 in Tennessee.
