By Leah Justice

leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

Travel between Tryon and Saluda along U.S. 176 was possible for the first time since late November on Friday, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The DOT reported that the road was scheduled to open at 11:19 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26 after being closed because of a rockslide.

Tryon Communications also announced Friday morning that the DOT had reopened the road between Saluda and Tryon for regular travel.

The road was originally closed on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 when a mudslide ran into the road near the twin bridges on the Tryon side of U.S. 176 near Pearson Falls Road.

The debris was removed and the road was temporarily reopened but closed again after another mudslide in early December. The state originally thought the road would be reopened on Dec. 7 but rocks came down from higher up on the mountain and the road was closed to all traffic. The state has conducted a couple explosions to clear the rocks and to stop the risk of further rockslides. The cleanup has been completed and the road was open to traffic by Friday afternoon.