Work Begins to Fix Pig Trail After Slide

Mountainside migration became a road block on Highway 23 in northwest Arkansas with the aid of abundant rainfall during the winter and spring.

The clock is ticking for workers to complete emergency repairs by Halloween and reopen to traffic on the famed Pig Trail Scenic Byway in northwest Arkansas.

Kesser International Inc. of North Little Rock is charged with rebuilding the damaged segment of Highway 23 after submitting a winning $1.8 million bid. Monday is the official start date on a job with an Oct. 30 deadline.

“We just received our contract, so we’re mobilizing as we speak,” said Ralph Vines, Kesser president. “If we get good weather, we shouldn’t have any trouble getting it done on time.”

Time, too much rain and steep terrain combined to undercut Highway 23 and buckle the pavement on a 700-foot section of the road in northern Franklin County.

The damaged area is north of Mulberry Loop Road and south of Fly Gap Mountain Road between the communities of Cass and Brashears.

The section has been closed since June 16 after an unsuccessful effort by the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department in late May and early June temporarily opened the road to one-lane traffic.

Vines said the project will require some extended workdays and some six-day workweeks for a crew of 10 to meet the schedule.

The work will entail building a French drain to allow groundwater to migrate through the subsurface without damaging the roadbed. To help stabilize the slope and protect the highway from future slides, workers will deploy 45,000 tons of rock and 12 inches of gravel topped by 8 inches of asphalt.

“The biggest challenge is dealing with an active slide that is unpredictable,” Vines said.

What started out looking like potholes on the winding, two-lane Ozark Mountain track developed into full-blown fissures as water and gravity pushed the roadway eastward and broke apart the asphalt.

“The pictures don’t do the damage justice,” said Danny Straessle, a spokesman for the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department. “It looks like a war zone.”

A hill slide on the north side of Interstate 40 near Coal Hill (Johnson County) sent debris onto the shoulder and prompted a brief closure of the outside lane of westbound traffic May 10-11.

However, the Pig Trail slide is more complicated because of the extreme topography. The mountain slope is what supports the roadbed.