Mud Slide Snarls Smokies Traffic
The Smoky Mountains gateway city of Gatlinburg is dealing with a mud and rock slide after part of a soggy slope gave way.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 441 – the main road through the resort town – have been blocked most of Tuesday, though one reopened later in the day.
A 30-foot-tall, 100-foot-long section of embankment let loose around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Debris spread across a sidewalk and two traffic lanes of the road, also known as Tenn. 71. No one was hurt.
Tennessee Department of Transportation geologists were at the site, determining what repairs may be needed.
The area has a history of mud and rock slides. More than 9.4 million tourists visit the area annually.
