“If it (Norris Lake) doesn’t let up today, Miller’s Bridge, on old Highway 63 east of La Follette, may get covered up today,” said Campbell County Road Superintendent Ron Dilbeck.     He goes on to say that the water is almost even with Goat Rock Bridge, between High Knob and Indian River Village, and it’s close to touching the White Bridge (pictured above) on its lower end.

Dilbeck notes that by now the flooding is from the high lake level and not from runoff, and the main issue is flooded roads; 14 of them at last count Tuesday.  All but about one flooded road, Paradise Cove, according to Dilbeck, has an alternate way around.  A few roads literally have feet of water over them like Paradise Cove at two-feet and Shawnee Drive with six to eight-feet over it.  He feels that with that much water over the roads, there could be damage left behind once the water recedes.

Glade Springs Road was shut down for a few hours on Tuesday morning.  Road department crews performed an emergency culvert replacement.

The road superintendent is hoping the lake level begins dropping today, and that the slides have run their course.  He and his crews worked more slides Tuesday morning thinking additional slides could show up this morning.  In his 26-years at the road department, Saturday’s slide on Pine Mountain is the largest Dilbeck has seen.  The upside to that massive slide is that there are no homes on the gravel road that is described as a bypass and scenic route between Rarity Mountain and Jellico.

Dilbeck urges you to use extreme caution if you come across a flooded road.  He says you’ll be surprised just how deep the water is in some places, because it doesn’t look deep. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 02/27/2019-6AM)