Blasting in Guilford County

Residents in one part of Guilford County will hear explosives. Friday, February 1, work crews will begin blasting along I-73 near High Point Road in Guilford County. They’re preparing to build the new High Point Road interchange with the Greensboro Western Loop.  Paul Ingram is a Resident Engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. He says this is part of a $45 million dollar road project. But it’s being slowed down because equipment alone can not remove several large rock chunks. “We are blasting a very small charge due to the houses and businesses in the vicinity. Just enough to fracture the rock. So it will sound like a pop noise but there should not be much seismic activity due to this blast.” According to Ingram, there will be rolling road blocks in the blast area. And crews will be on hand to clean away any rock debris that lands on I-73.  Law enforcement officers will also control traffic in both direction to create a safety buffer zone to protect motorists. The blasting will be done between 1-4 p.m. through  next Wednesday.