A milestone in Hurricane Helene recovery is coming this weekend: drivers will be able to travel between North Carolina and Tennessee on Interstate 40 starting Saturday.
The route will look different than pre-storm conditions as some areas of the interstate has been reduced to a two-lane road with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. The four-mile stretch alongside the Pigeon River Gorge required about $15 million 鈥� and five months of work 鈥� to repair.
On Wednesday, BPR staff participated in a ride-through of the newly-repaired road, organized by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A 20-mile stretch of the road has been closed since Hurricane Helene washed parts of the road into the Pigeon River below in late September.
The two eastbound lanes of the interstate connecting western North Carolina and Tennessee were severely damaged by the storm. To allow for traffic to flow, drivers will travel on the westbound side in a one lane pattern each direction, separated by a concrete curb anchored into the asphalt.
An emergency travel lane runs alongside the eastbound lane to allow for first responders to circumvent traffic in case of emergency.
NC Department of Transportation Staff Construction Engineer Nathan Tanner offered advice for travelers on the soon-to-open road.
鈥淵ou'd have to account for the delay time in your travel if you wanted to come through this route, so I don't want to discourage people from coming through I-40,鈥� he said. 鈥娾�滶arly in the morning, late in the evening, when people are traveling to and from work, or on the weekends鈥he delay time could be significant. I would say hours instead of minutes.鈥�
Tanner said the state still does not have a price tag for making the highway whole again, but he said it will be a while.
鈥溾�奧hat we're looking at for permanent repairs is a two to three year construction timeframe. But in that timeframe, we're going to be working towards opening up to more lanes of travel as early as possible,鈥� he said.
Crews are working hundreds of feet below the road at the river building retaining walls.
Standard 18-wheelers allowed are permitted on I-40, but wide loads are not allowed.
