A portion of a major East-West freight route is once again closed by a natural disaster.
Officials announced late last week that Interstate 40 at the Tennessee-North Carolina will be closed for at least several weeks because of flooding and rockslides caused by severe weather. This same section of the interstate was closed by heavy damaged caused by Hurricane Helene in late September of 2024.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said on the morning of June 19, that the interstate was closed at mile marker 450 in Cocke County.
The interstate is expected to reopen in about two weeks, but the most severe damage at Exit 451 could take several weeks longer to clear and repair, according to the Tennessee Department oif Transportation.
TDOT recommends the same alternate routes used during the Hurricane Helene cleanup – Interstate 81 to Interstate 26.
The National Park Service reminds truckers that all commercial vehicles are prohibited on US 441/Newfound Gap Road. When damage from Hurricane Helene shuttered I-40 last fall, a number of commercial truck drivers attempted to use US 441 as a way to route between the two states. Some of these trucks crashed or became stuck.
Officials are reminding drivers that no trucks with trailers over 30 feet in length, or single units over 30 feet in length are permitted on US 129 “The Dragon” in Tennessee or North Carolina.
It isn’t clear when I-40 will reopen.
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