RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Department of Transportation has set a target date for partially opening I-40 near the Tennessee border following the severe damage it sustained during Hurricane Helene.
NCDOT said traffic may be flowing in both directions on I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge by New Year’s Day.
NCDOT anticipates a contractor will complete a stabilization project securing the westbound lanes of I-40 in the gorge. The Pigeon River washed away the interstate’s eastbound lanes in four long swaths during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The completion of the stabilization project will open traffic to one lane in each direction. The speed limit will be set to 40 miles per hour over a 9-mile stretch of the gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina.
“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’s Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “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.”
Long-term reconstruction plans are still in early development.