The N.C. Department of Transportation debunks reports of West Virginia Coal Miners building an access road between Bat Cave into Chimney Rock, saying it's unsafe for vehicular traffic.
Videos posted of a connector road reportedly created between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock by West Virginia Coal miners have gone viral.
News 13 sent a crew to Bat Cave on US 64 on the morning of Nov. 1, to see the dirt road, but a barricade at the intersection of Brandon Forest Road and US 64 states US 64 into Bat Cave remains closed.
Despite the barricade, numerous drivers are passing and going straight into Bat Cave.
A spokesman for the DOT said the miners did not build an access road further down near Bat Cave that's safe.
"We appreciate the intentions of a mining crew from West Virginia," said David Uchiyama, an NCDOT spokesman. "They're the creation of a path -- not enough to support vehicular traffic -- south from Bat Cave occurred on private land and beyond the purview of transportation officials."
Uchiyama went on to state the following in an email detailing road work around Chimney Rock and Bat Cave:
Crews from Divisions 13 and 14 created some of the first connections -- ATV paths -- to reach stranded residents off U.S. Highway 64/74A, said Uchiyama. They are working north from Lake Lure through Chimney Rock to restore the highway to the location of the washed-out road and restore damage to private property.
Uchiyama did not respond to specific questions about the road but said he would provide further details later today after speaking with DOT officials.
A video posted on Instagram shows a sped-up point-of-view shot of a dirt road between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock reportedly built by West Virginia coal miners.
Reports went viral this week on the internet that coal miners from Alpha Metallurgical Resources (AMR) based in West Virginia had miners come and worked to create the access road for locals. The company responding from a corporate email Monday said it was declining comment when asked if their coal miners came to Bat Cave.
NCDOT's spokesman emailed details of work underway in the area:
NCDOT and contract crews have been moving the Broad River to the west to reestablish a temporary two-lane gravel road where it should be located. They are working north from Lake Lure through Chimney Rock to restore the highway to the location of the washed-out road and restore damage to private property. NCDOT and contract crews have been moving the Broad River to the west in order to reestablish a temporary two-lane gravel road where it should be located. Construction of the machined road and temporary river relocation should be completed in 4-6 weeks. For the foreseeable future, the two-lane gravel road will remain for local, construction, and emergency local traffic only. NCDOT officials are drafting a contract to construct a new road in the approximate location of the old road. The permanent restoration will be a Progressive Design Build project that advertises this week with an award expected in late November. The contract will include both design and construction. The exact construction dates will be determined in the contract. An approximate estimate for construction -- including river relocation -- of U.S. 64/74A is 2-3 years.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOShttps://wlos.com/news/local/gallery/ncdot-clears-up-confusion-over-road-between-bat-cave-and-chimney-rock?photo=1