Rolling roadblocks planned on I-24 West on Monteagle Mountain
Tennessee Department of Transportation contract crews launched a rock mitigation project Tuesday on Monteagle Mountain in west Marion County to clear trees along a rock bluff on the westbound side of Interstate 24 where rock slides are an ongoing issue.
Rolling roadblocks will allow the work to take place between mile marker 137 and 136 on westbound I-24, about halfway up the south side of Monteagle Mountain, according to a news release from TDOT spokeswoman Rae Anne Bradley. The work — planned from 1-4 p.m. CST — is supposed to continue through Thursday.
“Drivers should expect delays and are encouraged to seek an alternate route through the area during this time,” Bradley said in the release. “This work is weather-dependent. Should inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances delay this work, it will be rescheduled to take place as soon as possible.”
The forecast from the National Weather Service calls for clear skies Wednesday with rain coming into the region Thursday.
That section of I-24 was the site of a rockfall in December 2018 when rocks slipped from the faces of the bluff along the interstate and rolled onto the roadway, blocking some lanes, the Chattanooga Times Free Press previously reported.
In December 2010, a rock slide about 60 feet long involved an estimated 500 tons of rock that fell near mile marker 137, some entering the roadway, newspaper archives show.
Similar tree-clearing work was performed in March 2017 by the Georgia Department of Transportation on the other side of the state line along Georgia’s section of I-24 in the Wildwood community. Slides are not uncommon there but the primary goal was to increase visibility and safety through the curvy section of the highway, newspaper archives show. That project also included a bridge replacement on State Route 299 over I-24.