Here's a article that ran in todays paper here in Kingsport Tn. I thought you might find it interesting especially the highlighted section
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TALLASSEE, Tenn. (AP) — As of Monday, motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts will once again have access to most of a stretch of road known as "The Dragon."
But a rock slide that caused the segment of U.S. Route 129 to be shut down in March will still block access from the Tennessee side of the road that winds into North Carolina.
That means merchants on the Tennessee side will have to wait until the $2 million stabilization and cleanup is completed in July until they can once again reap the benefits from the swarms of motorcycles streaming through their area.
Despite warm temperatures and blue skies over the weekend, a cluster of businesses on the Tennessee end of The Dragon saw only the occasional motorcyclist pass through, including two Blount County police officers and a reporter.
"There would be thousands of motorcycles out there if it was open," said Dave Ramsey, owner of the 129 Motorcycle Pit Stop.
Ramsey estimated that more than 90 percent of his business has been choked off because of the rock slide, and questioned why the state would go through the trouble of opening the stretch of road when there will be little benefit to the tourism industry in Tennessee.
Counterparts on the North Carolina will be able to corner the tourism market, Ramsey said.
"They're going to squeeze us out of business," he said. "We're paying for it, and we get nothing out of it."
Tennessee state troopers are taking a two-hour detour into North Carolina to enforce traffic laws on the road between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day. Emergency response will be provided by Graham County, N.C.
In the meantime, traffic will be able to enter from the North Carolina side near Robbinsville and turn back about two miles from the rock slide, just short of the Foothills Parkway that many enthusiasts follow to accommodations in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The slide also cuts off roads coming from Maryville and Knoxville.
Workers on Saturday were perched about 160 feet above the road surface, jarring loose rock from the face of the cliff above the original rock slide. Vancouver, British Columbia-based Pacific Blasting has been promised a $195,000 incentive to finish the project by July 1.
But for some the work can't be completed soon enough.
Cook Todd Bell said he was inside 129 Motorcycle Pit Stop when he noticed an unusual serenity surrounding the store on a prime riding day.
"It's the sound of motorcycles not going by," he said.