Sections of Interstate 40 are still impassable and some areas are just completely gone. It will take a while to make repairs to the interstate, but it might not be as long as Google is predicting.
The remnants of Hurricane Helene brought inches of rain to Western North Carolina causing the maze of rivers in the mountains to burst from their banks, washing away roads and bridges that once led people on picturesque drives through the state and into Tennessee. Now debris and mud have blocked connections to these small towns as the slow process of cleaning up and digging out continues.
How long that process will take is unknown at this point as roads are being assessed, so a Google Maps alert that it will take until 2025 for the section of I-40 at the North Carolina-Tennessee border might be a bit too soon.
When will I-40 be open?
“In general, we’re going to prioritize the interstates and U.S. and N.C. routes ahead of the secondary routes, but also we’ve got to look at how much damage we have, like … the one near the Tennessee line,” N.C. Department of Transportation Joey Hopkins said Oct. 1. “That’s a significant amount of damage and so even though it’s a top priority of ours, it will take a long time to fix that. We’re probably talking months at best. We’ve still got to evaluate that and do some assessments out there before we can determine what that solution is.”
A mudslide resulted in a partial collapse of the I-40 in North Carolina along the border line with Tennessee. Tennessee Department of Transportation and NCDOT are working together to assess the extent of the damage on their respective sides of I-40. Neither had a timeline of when the highly traveled section bridging the two states would be open again, as of Tuesday, Oct. 1.
The repairs needed to I-40 will take “months” at a minimum, according to NCDOT.
What section of I-40 is closed?
On Tuesday, I-40 was reopened east of Asheville, but I-40 at mile marker 3 in Haywood County will remain closed indefinitely.
Both I-40 East and West are closed from mile marker 432 in Tennessee east to mile marker 3 in North Carolina. I-40 West is closed starting at mile marker 3 in North Carolina west through mile marker 435 in Tennessee, according to TDOT.
Alternate routes around I-40 closure
While the major thoroughfare is closed for the foreseeable future, there are ways around it.
Interstate 81 offers a bypass to I-40. Those in the Northwest section of Western North Carolina, can look for a safe route to I-81 into Tennessee which connects with Interstate 77, providing an alternate route to other areas in North Carolina.
Those in the Southwest part of the state can still travel on part of Interstate 26, but sections of the road may be closed. People can also seek out safe routes to Interstate 85 and then head Northbound to the Charlotte area.
Those south of Hendersonville can take U.S. 74 ALT to U.S. 74 East toward Shelby and then connect with I-85 to Charlotte and other points North and East.
U.S. 64 to U.S. 74 ALT just north of Hendersonville is impassable at this time due to landslides. The road is also impassable between U.S. 74 ALT and Slick Rock Road according to NCDOT.
Current N.C. DOT Road closure map
There may be closed roads not listed on DriveNC.gov as many areas are not able to report at this time, according to NCDOT.
You can follow road closures at drivenc.gov.
Can I go to Western NC to help?
All of Western North Carolina roads are to be considered closed to non-emergency traffic, according to multiple officials including N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper. North Carolina Department of Transportation crews are still working to clear many roads in that part of the state so that much-needed supplies can get to communities that have been isolated since Friday.
There are multiple ways people can help these devastated communities without going to them and taxing their slim resources, you can find ways to help here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: I-40 collapse: What to know about North Carolina-Tennessee closure
