Monday, Oct. 4

The chill of autumn air came rushing down the mountains on Sunday, lingering into the beginning of this week.  Temperatures struggled to make it out of the 40's today, but clear skies gave ample opportunity for a big day of work.  A new telephone pole was installed near Hardee's with a steel cage placed around the base to protect it from the ongoing work.  Nearby, the deep ground drillers were hard at work digging holes for road expansion beams.  Some of the beams on site are now larger, a necessary switch as the elevation gradually rises as the highway heads toward the New Market Drive intersection.

The biggest development at the construction site was the return of paving.  Fresh asphalt was being laid for the first time since the most recent traffic pattern shift commenced in August.  A strip about one lane wide and roughly 50 yards in length in front of Modern Toyota was receiving its first layer of asphalt at lunchtime today.  A front end loader and pavement roller were smoothing the new pavement as backhoes and hydraulic excavators were digging and filling various holes surrounding the paving area.  With the heavy amount of work being done from the highway's intersection with New Market Drive to its intersection with the Highway 105 Extension, it appears that crews will try to have that stretch of road open sooner than the other sections under construction.  While much work is yet to be done, new pavement certainly means solid progress is being made.

Sunday, Oct. 3

With no activity at the construction site this afternoon, I took the opportunity to take some photos of several areas of the road work.  It is often difficult to get good angles for pictures when work is in full swing, but today created a great chance to get some pictures.  The photos below provide an insight into how far the road construction has come along and how much is yet to be done.  The burning question that remains and will continue to remain for everyone impacted by this project until its completion is "when will it be finished?"

Support beams and timbers alongside New Market Center.

The second deep ground driller.

Many entry and exit ways to businesses are closed or obstructed.

An excavator mounted on a truck.

A view of the work from the intersection of New Market Drive and Highway 421.

Installed piping beneath the surface.

The worksite heading northbound.

Many sidewalks in and around the worksite are in poor condition.

This raised sewage manhole is surrounded by road work.

Beamplates that have been lowered into the ground during work.

A front-end loader that has been at work on the site.

A grading/paving machine that has been grading the recently demolished area.

A backhoe and excavator on site.

Grading work continues in front of the High Country 4x4 Center.

Piping and cubes that will soon be underground.

The construction has caused drainage problems in areas surrounding the road work.

The rubble pile beside the entrance to Oak St.

Friday, Oct. 1

Gusting winds and cooler temperatures provided a much needed weather change for work to continue at a normal pace along Highway 421 on Friday.  The weather resulted in another busy day of work for most of the heavy machinery on site.  Both deep ground drillers were back at work digging holes for more support beams to go into place for the expansion work alongside of New Market Center.  Closer to downtown along 421 westbound, a backhoe was digging holes in front of Modern Toyota and a bulldozer was leveling the gravel and dirt composite that had filled the ditches that were dug in previous weeks.  Also of note was the additional paving equipment that was brought on site.  From rollers to sealant sprayers, all of the equipment for paving is in place in front of Modern Toyota as the paving process will likely begin shortly after finishing touches are placed on the underground and surface work.

Thursday, Sept. 30

I wasn't planning on writing an entry today, but when the story comes to you I suppose you might as well go for it.  I was leaving my apartment this afternoon to go pay my rent and ran into construction traffic before I even got off of Oak St., which is at the west end of the construction zone.  A front-end loader was crossing the street loading a dump truck with rock and dirt from the two large piles that have accumulated on both sides of the intersection of Oak St. and Highway 421.  While Oak St. isn't a major thoroughfare, it does carry a solid amount of traffic for a residential street.  That's why it surprised me that there wasn't anyone directing traffic around the front-end loader or any signs warning of the construction taking place.  The front-end loader nearly backed into a car that was pulling out of a driveway behind it and the dump truck it was loading was blocking any incoming traffic from turning onto the street from 421.  As I pulled out of Oak St., rain began to fall again as the forecast of sunshine for the day was once again inaccurate.  The rain, while not heavy, was enough to scrap work for the day for most of the construction zone.  However, there were some AT&T crews working on phone lines throughout the construction zone as two trucks were performing maintenance to poles and lines within the zone.

I was able to take a few pictures before the heavier rain settled in this afternoon.  They are shown below.

One of the deep ground drillers in its inactive state.

The beams in place that the deep ground drillers have been digging holes for.

The retaining wall that has been constructed next to the Hardee's parking lot to separate it from the Highway.

The crane that has been used to move beams and equipment on the site.

Expansion work alongside the highway.

This picture shows just how close the expansion is in proximity to New Market Cinema.

Wednesday, Sept. 29

A miscue on the weather forecast didn't hinder construction crews from going back to work on the Highway 421 expansion project.  After rain kept work to a minimum on Monday, sunshine returned on Tuesday and was expected to be present on Wednesday.  Wednesday's weather came in stark contrast to the forecast as thick cloud cover, dense fog, and a steady but fine mist littered the skies of the High Country.  Despite these unfavorable conditions, today turned out to be one of the busiest days yet at the work site.  Heavy machinery and equipment was moving and active all across the construction zone by the time lunch hour arrived.  Work was paused alongside Hardee's as the damp weather hindered further progress on the brick retaining wall and cementing in the area.  Nearby however, work had increased in pace alongside the New Market Center park and ride lot.

All prior workdays had only featured one deep ground driller at work.  Today's workload was apparently increased as a second deep ground driller was on site being prepared to begin digging alongside the other one.  This second driller was likely on hand because the rain softened soil from the beginning of the week had created easier digging and crews were probably hoping to take advantage of the soft soil to make quick progress.  The driller that was already in operation was digging deep to prepare the space needed for another steel support beam.

At the intersection of New Market Dr. and the highway, a front end loader was loading large chunks of cement and pavement into a dump truck.  These chunks were being removed from the ground by a hydraulic excavator.  Just yards away from this activity, a backhoe was using its jackhammer feature to pound through the pavement for a reason to be discovered soon.  A little further northbound, another excavator was in motion, removing initial layers of pavement from the road in front of Modern Toyota.  A pavement roller, sealant spraying trucks, and a pair of street sweepers were nearby waiting for activity, a sure sign that paving will begin soon on the parts of the highway that are currently under construction.

Monday, Sept. 27

A steady mist, occasional showers, and frequent periods of thick fog didn't deter construction crews from working on expanding Highway 421 in Boone.  Rains that started on Sunday continued into Monday as crews braved the less than ideal weather to do their jobs.  Morning activity was once again slow as a few workers could be spotted surveying the area, planning their jobs for the day and how they would have to adjust plans due to the inclement conditions.  However, by 10am activity had picked up a little.

A handful of workers were working with and alongside the deep ground driller that was digging new holes for steel beams to go in place for continued support and roadside expansion alongside the New Market Center park and ride lot.  Upon further review, no other activity was taking place at the site for the day.  All of the other heavy equipment was inactive as it appeared that other workers had been given the day off due to the weather.  The crew working with the steel beams appeared to be making accelerated progress thanks to the soil being softened by the weekend rain.  Forecasts show the weather clearing up for the rest of the week, so regular work should continue tomorrow assuming the ground dries in time for work hours.

Friday, Sept. 24

As I traveled Highway 421 on the way to work on Friday morning, activity was slow as many employees had yet to arrive.  The lone job that was in motion was a worker on the top of the already constructed retaining wall along the southbound side of the highway.  This wall has two layers, and aside from extra support, I had yet to understand the purpose of making the wall two layers thick until Friday.  The worker on top of the wall was standing on the dirt area between the two sections of the wall hammering in extra support stakes.  By adding the second layer, it makes it easier for construction workers to repair either section of the wall and also to add support along the way.

On my journey back to my apartment from work, activity had picked up on the northbound side of the highway as work continued in front of Modern Toyota and the High Country 4x4 Center.  On Friday however, activity wasn't normal.  The typical digging to install cement piping had given way to deeper and more expansive digging to install two large steel cubes.  Columns supported two large steel plates, one that rested on the ground and the other that stayed near the ground level.  Excavators were hard at work in front High Country 4x4 Center clearing the way for the steel cube, while the one in front of Modern Toyota was already lowered in place.  This work involved multiple workers at both installation sites.  These were the highlights from Friday's activity along the highway.