A popular waterfront access point and boat ramp in Murphy, North Carolina, is closed and will remain off limits to the public for another month, the Town Manager’s office said.
Payne Street runs from its intersection with Tennessee Street near the Valley River bridge to a public boat launch, where it becomes unpaved but continues on past the town’s wastewater treatment plant and follows the river for a mile or more — largely as a hiking trail for the more adventurous — though it is sometimes accessible to off-road vehicles.
Traffic cones and an out-of-service police car restrict traffic at the entrance to Payne Street at its intersection with Tennessee Street near the Roscoe W. Hall Bridge below the Texana Community, a largely minority residential community in Murphy. Authorities say the closure will be in force for another month.
Payne provides a popular river-view and sight-seeing spot for locals as well as a road that offers easy access for bank fishermen to the Hiwassee River, just above its junction with the Valley River. Low water often leaves the boat ramp unusable, but it can be used when conditions are favorable.
City crews closed the road around the first of April, apparently related to work with a pumping station located on the riverbank at the head of Payne Street.
An out-of-service police car and traffic cones warn traffic away from the road, though the road remains open to local septic businesses who dump their product at the Wastewater Treatment Station.
Payne is just above the 1899 railway trestle that crosses the Valley River at the Murphy River Walk, though Payne itself is not part of the popular local trail network.
