The slide occurred about two miles west of Metcalf Bottoms, forcing the closure of an eight mile section of the Little River Road from Townsend to Metcalf Bottoms.
The rockslide was just one of many that have plagued the region this winter.
A University of Tennessee geologist says a combination of terrain and wet weather is to blame for many of the recent problems in East Tennessee. He also says we should expect more slides this year.
"The water gets into the crevasse, then it freezes and it loosens that material. Then it thaws. Then more water gets in and it freezes again and expands. It is almost like a jack hammer. It just loosens that material until eventually the slope will fail," explains Region 1 Director Steven Borden, with the state Department of Transportation (TDOT).
Here’s a list of the rockslides/landslides (that I’m aware of) that have occurred in the region since last fall:* A series of rockslides on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Spur road (U.S. 441) resulted in closures and detours that will last until April.
* A small rockslide occurred on SR-73 near the entrance to the Tremont Campground in early February.
* A massive landslide took out the backside of one home and caused minor damage to three other homes on Rich Cove Road in Maggie Valley in February.
* A massive rockslide on I-40 closed a 20-mile stretch of interstate between the Haywood County boundary and the Tennessee state line last October, and will remain closed until late April.
* A major landslide on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Ferrin Knob Tunnel No. 1, which is about six miles uphill from the parkway's interchange with N.C. 191 in Bent Creek, between Asheville and Mount Pisgah, has shut down the BRP until July.
* A recent rockslide covered the main road at Grandfather Mountain State Park just below the Split Rock and the Sphinx Rock.
* Rock slides continue to block U.S. 64-74 in the Ocoee River Gorge about 12 miles west of the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Hope to be cleared by April 16.
* And of course the now famous video that shows a man actually driving into a rockslide on U.S. 129 (The Dragon) about two miles south of Chilhowee Dam.
Jeff
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