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Fentress County’s Glenobey Road will soon be closed to begin construction work from the top of the mountain to the Old County Quarry.
County Road Superintendent Ryan Reed will oversee the construction project costing around $4 million. Reed said the road is in need of serious repair, with entire sections of it sliding into a dry creek bed below it.
“This is elaborate,” Reed said. “Fentress County Highway Department was awarded a $4 million one-time appropriation to fix this slide area that’s been a problem for many decades.”
To address the issue, Reed said soil nails and general reinforcements will be used to prevent another slide-off from happening soon.
The road will be completely closed for the duration of the construction period, beginning August 7. Reed said he and his crew hope to have the job completed in two and a half months. He said the time to complete the project remains a bit uncertain.
“We’re down to one lane anyway, so by the time you put construction equipment to working in there there’s just no way to keep traffic flowing,” Reed said.
In the meantime, Reed said people below the slide area should take Glenobey Road to Highway 52 to reach Jamestown., but his team’s ability to do the job is not.
The Fentress County legislative delegation helped with money to get the project completed.
