Johnson City Press from Johnson City, Tennessee • 29

JOHNSON CITY PRKSSTHK ERWIN RECORD Tuesday July 4 1995 Page 17 Papers combine to chronicle dream it Jpy kMoT: 5a T4 PjflYof rJwn uS 2J the hope-and the hiohwrtv hflo hwn vui uinvtcu jy tttc tfyt City Press and The Erwin Record In their separate ways these two newspapers for years have brought the struggle for this important road into the homes of their readers In today's editions of the two newspapers readers can see the results of a combined effort of the staffs of the two newspapers to produce a lasting record of the beginnings and opening of the newest segment of US 23 'Widening the Gap reflects the years of planning and work of countless men and wothen who labored tirelessly to bring the highway off the drawing board FT Ml 3SBK -ri n- i $gdl mm mmm f- Heavy trucks make their way through construction CONqRATUlATiONS to The State of Tennessee on tie OpENiNq of HiqhwAy 25 PRoposEd 1-26 5- g- uudiauicS (Continued from Page 1) ning Sediment ponds were built to let silt settle so streams would not be spoiled Pyrite rock containing acid was encapsulated as it was uncovered to protect ground water Miles of plastic sheeting was used to prevent runoff water from contaminating streams and to prevent erosion Trees were planted In what is called soil bio-engi-neering branches cut from Trees were laid in trenches on slopes The branches sprout grow into a thicket and prevent erosion To keep fill dirt from sloughing off workers made ditches to carry water The ditches were lined with plastic 60 mils thick a plastic garbage bag is about one mil thick One day a scheduled blast was postponed because a bear strolled into the middle of the danger zone Theyd already given the two-minute warning when a bear walked out right on top of the blast site He looked around scratched himself and just stood there The bear eventually waddled away Hell be able to use two bear boxes the workers con- structed: fences to guide bears to a culvert through which they can safely travel under the highway to the other side At one point 200 trucks were hauling stone and asphalt to the road project daily Mechanics had the capability to completely overhaul engines on site Oil samples were analyzed to diagnose problems Radio-dispatched parts runners kept mechanics supplied Summers-Taylor Inc the paving contractor worked seven-day weeks alternating crews on weekends As Martin drove over the highway in late May his excitement was barely contained He pulled over often speculating on the thrill tourists will get when they see the fall colors The work was hard but the reward is great Martin said with the satisfaction of transforming a v- OVCi 175 tortuous miles of two-lane into a 15-minute pleasure trip on a stretch of modern highway Heavy Duty Truck-Trailer Repair Air Bag Recovery Johnson City Owner: Roger Tunnell 615-928-0365 Erwin Unicoi Local Operative: Charles Harris 615-743-5250 Exit 5 US 23 MtWWi WRECKER SERVICE 501 Ravine Drive JohnsonCity TN 37605 'rr SfSeSSSar i I Workers move first house out of construction area jvy" i u- -nterptr- Moving earth in the Southeast for over 50 years 1 Beckley West Virginia 304-252-6575 Vo Qt Vecelli srgn Inc ore proud to hove been port of the 1-26 highway construction tor the Tennessee Department Transportation in Unicoi County.