The North Carolina Department of Transportation says 90% of the roads damaged by Hurricane Helene have been at least partially reopened, but the work is far from done.
To minimize cost as well as time, construction materials from the Pisgah National Forest will be available for NCDOT to use as recovery efforts continue.
The Federal Highway Administration coordinated with the United States Forest Service to expedite this process and allow for immediate access to the national forest materials, according to a U.S. DOT news release.
“Lives were forever changed by this storm,” NCDOT Division 13 Engineer Tim Anderson said. “Local NCDOT staff, NCDOT staff from other divisions and our contract partners have completed a great deal of emergency repairs, and we will not stop.”
In Sept. 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina.
Six months later, countless hours have gone into recovery efforts, communities have been reconnected and the task to rebuild infrastructure continues. #HeleneNChttps://t.co/PzCwUFLi5G— NCDOT (@NCDOT) March 28, 2025
Being able to utilize materials that are just a few miles from construction work will save hundreds of millions of dollars, the U.S. DOT said.
NCDOT initially requested access to multiple material sites by May 9 for repairs to Interstate 40, where Hurricane Helene washed out 10 sections of eastbound lanes and shoulders along a 4-mile stretch.
“We are happy to have I-40 open and operating in a limited capacity, and we also know that tons – literally thousands of tons – of work remains to restore I-40 completely,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “Our employees and our contractors are up to the challenge for the benefits of our residents and interstate commerce.”
FHWA said it’s on track to transfer property rights to NCDOT and ensure recovery efforts continue without delay.
As of Thursday, March 27, NCDOT has physical access to the approved national forest sites.
Public meetings to inform the public and receive feedback will continue to be held as recovery efforts progress, NCDOT said. LL
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