The N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a contract to Graham County Land Company on Monday for $1.49 million to clear a large landslide that has closed on N.C. 9 in the northeast corner of Henderson County.
Crews may begin mobilizing equipment this week. The initial completion date is July 27th.
The work includes building a dirt road up the mountain so crews can move heavy equipment into place so excavation can begin. An estimated 110,000 cubic yards of debris will be hauled to a local site. That’s enough material to fill approximately 9,100 tandem-axle dump trucks.
Crews will remove all debris, restore drainage, replace the guardrail, and repair the road. Additional improvements may be addressed with a supplemental contract agreement as needed. Per state law, the contact was awarded to the lowest qualified bidder.
The slide, which started 600-800 feet above the road, occurred in the early-morning hours of June 5 between Minihaha Drive and Old Fort Loop Road. Initial estimates had the road closed until Labor Day.
Governor Roy Cooper visited the slide on Saturday evening.
“It’s important that it gets back open as quickly as possible,” Cooper said. “We know that there is about a 50 mile detour that people have to take.”