Large rockslide covers road near Ashland City with dozens of boulders
A NDOT spokesperson said these events happen often due to heavy rain getting into cracks in a bluff and loosening material.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - People in an Ashland City neighborhood woke up to find a large rockslide covering their road Wednesday morning.
The Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) said the massive boulders fell from the hillside near the Cumberland River overnight along River Trace. Crews had to use jackhammers and other heavy equipment to clear the mess one rock at a time.
Jennifer Rogers found the rockslide while leaving her house for work. She said they find rocks in the road all the time after strong storms, but she’s never seen a rockslide this large in the 14 years her family has lived in the area.
“We’re worried,” Rogers said. “Those rocks do fall, and they do fall all the time. It’s just a matter of time until one gets my car or falls in front of me and causes a wreck or something like this. Most of us drive in the middle of the road, if there is nobody coming the other way, to avoid getting hit or something with a rock.”
Rogers said the road can be very dangerous and they are lucky no one was hurt or killed with the dozens of large boulders blanketing River Trace.
“It’s very dangerous for folks that are driving through on a daily basis because you just don’t know,” Rogers said. “It’s not just rocks, too. It’s tree branches and sometimes big, big trees come down.”
A NDOT spokesperson said these events happen often due to heavy rain getting into cracks in a bluff and loosening material. Once the road is cleared, a geological engineer will evaluate the area to figure out what additional reinforcements are needed to prevent future rockslides.
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Rogers said she would like more warning signs or safety nets to keep rocks from falling into the road and possibly over the guardrails into someone’s home. Until the area can be secured, she wants people to pay attention to their surroundings and keep an eye on what’s above them.
TDOT said they use several safety strategies to prevent rockfalls on state routes, a spokesperson said. While a state road is under construction, they make sure there are large enough catchment areas to minimize the impact of rockslides.
TDOT also uses rock fences and mesh to stop or redirect falling debris away from the road. There are different anchoring techniques to secure larger rocks on slopes and trimming loose rocks before hey can fall.
Large rockfalls that close a road long-term happen every three to five years, TDOT said, but are mainly in mountainous parts of East Tennessee. Temporary closures, like this rockfall on River Trace, happen an average of 6-10 times every year across the state. Minor rockfalls, with smaller debris bouncing onto roads, happen around 20 times per year statewide.
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