Officials in North Carolina have reopened a section of Interstate 40 months after it closed in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Over the weekend, the North Carolina Department of Transportation opened a stretch of the highway that was washed out by flood waters in September. The reopened portion is one-lane in both directions, extending roughly 12 miles from Cold Springs Creek Road (Exit 7) in North Carolina to Big Creek Road (Exit 447) in Tennessee.
“We are happy to have this open for the people who depend on a connected transportation system between North Carolina and Tennessee,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said in a statement. “This opening improves the flow of people, goods and services between our two states and between locations far beyond Haywood County.”
The state DOT said drivers should anticipate delays while driving along the recently reopened portion of I-40 due to “unusual conditions for interstate travel,” including:
- Narrowed lanes with reduced shoulders
- A reduced speed limit of 35 mph
- A 9-inch-by-9-inch concrete curb separating traffic
- Periodic breaks to provide EMS access
- An emergency-only lane on the eastbound side
While standard-size trucks are permitted along the one-lane stretch of highway, oversize loads are required to utilize Interstate 77 and Interstate 81 to travel North Carolina and Tennessee. The latest detour map for western North Carolina is available here.
Currently, across North Carolina, 53 routes remain closed to truck traffic, with a total of 149 roads closed to all vehicles due to damage from Hurricane Helene.
The state DOT said permanent reconstruction of I-40 is expected to begin soon. No timetable has been set for when that construction is expected to be complete.
“I look forward to working with (USDOT) Secretary (Sean) Duffy and our federal partners to ensure we have the resources we need to rebuild our infrastructure as quickly as possible,” NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins said. “And we’ll continue working on the rest of the routes until we get those built, too.”
According the NCDOT, floodwaters from Hurricane Helene washed away roughly 3 million cubic yards of dirt, rock and material from the side of I-40. LL
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