A section of New River Highway, also known as Highway 116, is pictured above between Briceville and Rosedale in November 2012, when the Graves Gap wildfire was reported on a mountain east of the highway (to the right in the photo above). (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Two Anderson County commissioners have planned a mountain drive on Tuesday that they say will again show the need for guardrails along Highway 116, also known as New River Highway, in north Anderson County.
The commissioners, Tim Isbel and Shain Vowell, represent District Four in Anderson County. That district includes Briceville and Rosedale, among other parts of mountainous north Anderson County.
They have scheduled a meeting with a representative of the Tennessee Department of Transportation at about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, September 26, at the Anderson County Career and Technical Center beside the Anderson County High School. The purpose is to explain the need for the guardrails, the commissioners said in an email forwarded to other county commissioners, county officials, and the media.
The school bus driver for the children who live in the area has agreed to drive a group across the mountain with him, the email said.
“We also plan to have a video camera recording the drive to emphasize the need for the guardrails and reinforce the dangerous drop-offs located on the route,” the email said.
Parts of Highway 116 has some steep drop-offs between Briceville and Rosedale, including in areas with no guardrails; steep climbs and descents; and some sharp switchback turns.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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