Alabama 117 From Mentone To Valley Head Will Remain Closed Through April

Alabama Highway 117 going down Lookout Mountain from Mentone to Valley Head, Alabama has been closed for over two weeks due to instability of the roadway on the side of the mountain.  But Mentone residents and Alabama law enforcement officials say that some tractor-trailers are ignoring the road closure signs and trying to make their way down Tutwiler Gap, which has caused several large trucks to get stuck.

Tutwiler Gap is a switchback road that is used by locals but is not intended for large commercial vehicles.  In fact, it is always illegal for tractor-trailers to use that route.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has erected large, flashing, electronic signs in Summerville warning truckers of the road closure.  Those signs instruct truck drivers to take Georgia Highway 114 to Gaylesville, Alabama and then use Alabama Highway 35 to go over Lookout Mountain and access Fort Payne and Interstate 59.

The Alabama Department of Transportation says that it could be several more weeks before a solution to the problem on Highway 117 is found.  The official Alabama DOT website says that the road will remain closed through April 30, 2021.

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