At the first of April, the Georgia Department of Transportation received a call from the Alabama Department of Transportation asking Georgia officials to help re-route commercial traffic off of Georgia Highway 48 in Chattooga County because Alabama Highway 117 was closed going down Lookout Mountain between Mentone and Valley Head.

This week, the Alabama Department of Transportation announced that they are in  final stages of designing a repair for the section of Alabama 117 destabilized by a landslide following heavy rainfall earlier this month. ALDOT tentatively plans to take bids for the emergency project next week.  Alabama officials say that roadwork is scheduled to begin Monday, May 3.

The first phase of the project will require continued closure of the highway between Valley Head and Mentone for about 30 days from start of work, barring unforeseen conditions. After the road reopens to traffic, a second phase of work estimated to take another 45 days will require single-lane closures at times.

The repair will include excavation along a 300-foot-long section of the highway and construction of a rock buttress — a more stable rock fill replacing the loose material — followed by reconstruction of that section of the road.