HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — Helene demolished the main thoroughfare linking North Carolina to Tennessee. On Monday, NCDOT shared a date for when it hopes major work will be completed to get traffic moving on I-40 at the state line once again.
NCDOT said its $10 million contract with the Wright Brothers Construction includes incentives to stabilize the westbound lanes of I-40 at the state line by January 4, 2025. Previously, NCDOT had only said the goal was to stabilize the westbound lanes by early 2025, so this is the first time we're hearing about a potential date.
A huge chunk of I-40 fell off into the Pigeon River during Helene, prompting officials to shut down more than 40 miles of the highway - between exit 432 in Tennessee and exit 20 in North Carolina.
NCDOT said it is working with Tennessee DOT officials and the Federal Highway Administration on the long-term plan for the reconstruction of I-40 in the gorge.
Since Helene, NCDOT crews have reopened 600 roads, mostly in western North Carolina. That's roughly 140 more roads that have reopened since the update from last week.
Major reopenings include:
- I-40 near Old Fort and in downtown Asheville
- I-26 in Henderson and Polk counties
- U.S. 221, U.S. 321, and U.S. 421 in the Boone area
- U.S. 70 and U.S. 25 in Asheville
NCDOT reported Monday that there are still nearly 600 road closures, with 100 of them being on interstates and state and federal highways.
For the latest updates on road conditions, head to DriveNC.gov.