The N.C. Department of Transportation is working with Alcoa Power Generating Inc., to determine the best option for repairing the St. Matthews Church Road causeway over High Rock Lake in Salisbury.
In order to begin preliminary diagnostics to determine what repairs are needed, NCDOT has requested that Alcoa crews lower the water level of High Rock Lake this fall while geotechnical engineers visually survey the slopes that are usually under water.
Alcoa workers will be gradually lowering High Rock Lake over a period of approximately 45 days beginning Sept. 15, after the bulk of summer traffic along the lake dies down. Once this diagnostic work has been completed, NCDOT will be able to evaluate possible repair options and estimated costs. A repair schedule will then be determined.
St. Matthews Church Road in Salisbury was closed in September 2013 after engineers determined that waves from High Rock Lake had eroded the road’s foundation, creating potentially unsafe driving conditions along the 85-year old causeway.
“Over the years, the constant wave action of the lake has eroded the soil under the causeway, compromising the subgrade and ultimately causing the pavement to fail,” said NCDOT Division Engineer Pat Ivey. “While we regret any inconvenience the closure may cause for local traffic around the lake, safety is the department’s highest priority.”
Motorists should use Stokes Ferry Road and Bringle Ferry Road to navigate around the closure. A map of the area can be seen here.