The North Carolina Department of Transportation announced plans to partially reopen Interstate 40 on New Year’s Day after the remnants of Hurricane Helene crumbled sections of the road.
The section of I-40 that is scheduled to reopen on Jan. 1 is through a 9-mile stretch of the Pigeon River Gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina. The stabilization project will allow vehicles to travel at 40 mph on one lane in both directions.
The interstate was washed away in September when storms caused by Hurricane Helene rolled through western North Carolina, killing over 100 people and decimating the region. Catastrophic flooding and mudslides destroyed communities.
“We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said in an announcement. “We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.”
Complete restoration of the interstate will take years, the DOT said. The agency hired RK&K as a design firm, Ames Construction as the contractor and HNTB as the project manager. The total cost is unknown, but the agency awarded an $8.5 million contract for the stabilization repairs.
Partially reopening the roadway will provide “critical connectivity” for the transportation of supplies, Payne said. Getting critical supplies to affected communities proved challenging in the days after the deadly weather. Since then, truck drivers have relied on routing software to steer them in the right direction.
Crews are working to stabilize I-40 by soil-nail walls on areas damaged by the Pigeon River when it overflowed. Workers will also install a concrete safety barrier.
Long-term repair plans are still being developed.
Nearly 600 roads were closed following Helene, but as of Tuesday, about half were reopened. The DOT reported that 297 roads remained closed.
A section of Interstate 26 was also closed by Helene but reopened Oct. 30.