Residents at the back of Walden's Ridge will have to take the long way down the hill for the next month.
Roberts Mill Road closes today and will remain so for an estimated 30 days during a stabilization project, county officials say.
Hamilton County commissioners last week voted to close the road and pay GeoStabilization International $306,845 from a state contract for the repairs. That's the same company that completed the $1.3 million W Road repairs last April.
County Public Works Administrator Todd Leamon told commissioners that two areas adjacent to the road need "slope stabilization" to prevent dangerous landslides that could wash out the road.
County spokesman Mike Dunne said Friday that the two sections run along 230 feet of roadway. The company, along with county workers, will be installing self-drilling soil nails and applications of cement under the road to support it, he said. In addition, some sections of guardrail will be replaced, and parts of the road will be repaved.
Documents attached to the resolution show the work will be done on an area of the roadway close to the top of the ridge.
Dunne said residents will have to plan for extra travel time when heading off the mountain.
Their best bets, he said, are to take either the W Road or Signal Mountain Boulevard. Those are also the routes emergency vehicles will take, Leamon told commissioners last week.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6481.