Watauga County highway closed as crews clear blasting debris

A western North Carolina highway closed Wednesday for emergency repairs and traffic is expected to be impacted through Saturday night as work continues to clear the road.

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State Highway 105 closed between Broadstone Road and Old Shulls Mill Road, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said. That section of the highway crosses over the Watauga River.

The NCDOT said the road closure came after overnight blasting in the area. Crews continue to work to clear debris from the road and stabilize the slopes next to the road.

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The blasting began Tuesday evening and was expected to continue daily for several months until completion. Flagging crews and digital message boards are posted for drivers in the work zone.

Lanes will remain temporarily closed through Saturday night. Local traffic will be permitted through the work zone as safely as possible but no commercial vehicles will be allowed to drive through the work zone.

Drivers are asked to avoid the area and use an alternate route. Possible detours include:

From Boone take U.S. 421 S. to Wilkesboro, N.C.-18 to Lenoir, U.S.-64 to Morganton, N.C.-181 to Pineola, U.S.-221 to Linville, to N.C.-105 (or vice versa).

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