Road collapse repaired
Crews replace damaged pipe and repave section of New River Highway
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A state highway crew works on Sunday (May 31) to repair a washout that occurred Saturday on Highway 116 west of Briceville in Anderson County. The road was reopened to traffic about midday on Monday, the state Transportation Department said. - TDOT
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This is how State Route 116 past Briceville in Anderson County looked after heavy rain caused a washout on Saturday morning, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. - TDOT
Part of the roadway of heavily-traveled State Route 116 (New River Highway) slid down the bank of the Ligias Fork River on Saturday morning, forcing the Tennessee Department of Transportation to close the road and bring in a repair crew.
The road was reopened just after noon on Monday after the slide area was filled and the roadway repaved, TDOT reported.
The slide occurred in the area of Grave Hill Missionary Baptist Church, southwest of Briceville in far western Anderson County.
“Good news! SR 116 is back open near Petros in Anderson County,” TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi said in a news release shortly before 3 p.m. Monday. “Part of the roadway washed away due to heavy rains on Saturday morning.
“Crews replaced broken pipe, filled that area with rock yesterday [Sunday], and paved today,” he said.
State Route 116 carries traffic from Rocky Top through Briceville, and then into the New River area, connecting to Petros and Brushy Mountain State Prison.
The part of the route west of Briceville was restricted by TDOT to keep out large trucks beginning in 2023 after residents of the area complained to the state about frequent accidents caused by the trucks operating on the winding mountain road.
