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Polk County Residents Seek Attention and Relief

The Highway 64 rockslide of November 10th is presenting more than just an inconvenience to residents on the eastern side. Ducktown is a ghost town. More than 2 months into the clean-up and the primary access to the community remains closed. Residents wonder when relief will come and their impenitence is growing.

"It's affected our economy around here, I'll guarantee ya," said Steve Orton, owner of Orton's Barber Shop. "I was hoping they'd be done by the 15th of January...it's been very bad. We're all very frustrated," he continued. "They have all that equipment down there and, I have a lot of people who come in here who are ex-miners that are used to moving dirt and rocks and stuff; they say if they were able to work, they could move that in two or three days."

But, the Tennessee Department of Transportation says it is about more than moving rocks off the pavement. Workers have continued to remove loose rock and other material from the upper western side of the slope. Crews are preparing to install 40 ft. long rock anchors at the site on Wednesday. T-DOT will receive emergency funds from the federal government if the project is completed within 180 days of the slide. Their projected date for reopening Highway 64 is now March 31st, just in time for white water rafting season, but that date has been pushed back once already. People in Polk County on the eastern side of the rubble feel isolated. Especially those who depend on the passage to feed their families.

"I know the rafting is fixin' to start, but man, people's jobs means more than rafting to me," explained Ducktown resident Dennis Trentham. "Now they want to say we're gonna do it by March? Well, hey, what about November 10th? It's hurting people. Financially and everything. It's just a burden."

Word came on Tuesday that Governor Phil Bredesen is trying to find some money for Polk County residents and business owners. State Representative Eric Watson says it is a federal highway in a national forest and he has been pushing the governor to ask for federal assistance for more than a month.

"There's businesses right now in Copper Hill that has lost 70% of their business this last month compared to the months before when this rock slide wasn't going on," said Rep. Watson. "Local governments are hurting. Their sales taxes are down 60-65%."

Continuing, he said, "We got owner-operators that drives transfer trucks that's having to drive a three hour round trip around this rock slide and not getting a dime for it. People needs help in Polk County."

Early Tuesday morning, another rockslide along Highway 64. This one happened at mile marker 10.9 near Maddens Branch. T-DOT tells us it occurred in a portion of the highway already closed and only affects one lane. The contractor can still get in and out of the area.

As for the main slide at mile marker 17.6, work continues during daylight hours, 7 days a week, weather permitting, aiming for that end of March to reopen goal.

Reported by: Greg Glover