Mudslide damages Pickens County road

The South Carolina DOT expects that a quarter-mile section of U-S 178 in Pickens County near the North Carolina line will remain closed until early next month while repairs are made. A mudslide damaged part of that mountainous road. An approximate 30-minute detour has been posted in cooperation with the North Carolina DOT. That detour, which includes a portion in North Carolina, includes Van Clayton Memorial Highway, Glady Fork Road and East Fork Road. The average daily traffic is about 500 vehicles. To make repairs, South Carolina DOT maintenance workers are moving about 3,000 cubic yards of dirt to dig out a damaged drainage pipe, install a new pipe and build up and stabilize the slope alongside the road. The road has been closed since July 4.