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 on I-40 at the state line.
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.
Does that mean traffic could be moving again on that January 4 date?
We called NCDOT and spoke with Aaron Moody, Assistant Director of Communications, about this. He said the answer right now is only - maybe - and that's because a lot of things need to happen before any traffic can move one way or both ways on the highway.
Moody said this first contract only deals with stabilizing the westbound lanes - crews need to make sure that this side of the highway isn't going to drop into the gorge the way the eastbound lanes did. You'll remember, a huge chunk of I-40 east 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.
Moody said once those westbound lanes are stabilized, only then can NCDOT figure out the bigger picture for work to be done on the eastbound lanes. He said no contract has been decided for who will complete the work on the eastbound side. NCDOT said until it can see what the design for the permanent fix will look like, only then can it figure out the logistics: How will crews work safely in this dangerous work zone? How will they work safely with traffic potentially open on the westbound side? Can they even do the work with traffic open on the westbound side? These are questions NCDOT just doesn't have answers for at this time.
The bottom line is -- it's a very dangerous work zone. It's right next to a gorge. There are a lot of moving parts to get I-40 open in this area once again. But the first step is making sure the westbound lanes are safe. The incentive date for Wright Brothers Construction to make that happen is January 4. So, it's progress.
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.