Rockslide shut down parts of Highway 76

Sentinel photo by Harrison Keely

A rockslide shut down portions of Highway 76 between Young Harris and Hiawassee, Georgia last week.

The slide is the third to hit the region in recent weeks, following in the wake of larger disasters on I-40 to Knoxville and Hwy. 64 to Chattanooga.

The rockslide, which was due to heavy rainfall, should be cleared from the road quickly, area engineer Chuck Davis said.

“We’re not convinced that more of it’s not going to come down, so we have another load of barrier wall coming,” Davis said. “…if anything falls, it hopefully will catch it behind the wall.”

No one was injured in the disaster, but two lanes of traffic were closed to clean up the resulting mess, which damaged guardrail as well.

Davis said professionals from the state’s research lab would be investigating the location in efforts to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

“What’s scary is to think of all of the houses perched up on ridgelines and steep slopes,” Hayesville resident J.T.S. Moore said. “Someday this will happen here like it’s happened in Macon County, but no one seems to care.”

• See more photos of the rockslide here.