321 repair project still on track for New Year's completion

One section of road repair in Johnson County is nearing completion, so a 24-mile stretch of road, closed since Helene, can fully reopen."Due to ongoing work in Johnson County, State Road 159/U.S. 321 remains closed to through traffic," Mark Nagi, TDOT Regional Communications Officer, recently stated. "This roadway is expected to be fully open to traffic on or before December 31, 2025."The road remains closed to through traffic from its turning point off State Road/Highway 67 near the Butler Memorial Bridge to the intersection with U.S. 421 in Vilas, N.C. Local traffic on each side of the state border can use the road up to Greggs Branch Road from the east and up to Banjo Ridge Road from the west.One section of U.S. 321 in Johnson County, near Greggs Branch Road, remains impassable due to the ongoing repair work. In the summer, crews dug down more than 50 feet to repair the drainage pipes damaged by Helene.Baker's Construction Services of Bluff City has done the construction work. Baker's was awarded a $10 million contract in late 2024.Work was originally supposed to be done by Labor Day, but delays over the spring and summer pushed it back to the end of 2025.U.S. 321 reopening delayed until end of 2025According to Nagi, three of the five repair sites are in Johnson County, near Greggs Branch Road. Two of the sites involve removing failed material from the roadway and cleaning up the slope and ditch line. The other site is the removal and replacement of failed and damaged pipes below the roadway."Currently, the contractor has removed and replaced the pipes and is working on restoring the roadway fill over the pipes to its original elevation," Nagi said. "Work is still ongoing in the Johnson County locations."All the Carter County U.S. 321 work is done where the road goes alongside Watauga Lake as it turns into Elk River in the Elk Mills/Poga community.One of the Carter County repairs was a deep-patch roadway restoration, Nagi said."A deep patch is a method of roadway stabilization that involves raising the roadway bedding in lifts to reestablish the subgrade and base material," Nagi said. "A barrier wall was also installed at this location to protect motorists from a roadside vertical drop."Another nearby site required the reconstruction of a roadway and the building of a retaining wall, with drainage pipe work also done."Work at both locations has been completed, and traffic in the Carter County section has been reopened to local traffic," Nagi said.