Crews are now assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in multiple states. Roads are destroyed, bridges are demolished and infrastructure needs to be repaired.
Tennessee
In Eastern Tennessee, Hurricane Helene destroyed six of the 17 bridges that pass over the Nolichucky River, leaving only a handful passable.
“We had five bridges that were destroyed,” Mark Nagi from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) said of the department-owned toll regionwide. “We have 14 more that were damaged across the region. That’s not even counting what any local, county or city-owned bridges could end up being.”
Crews at TDOT have inspected 310 bridges, assessed 47 routes, repaired and reopened 25 routes and reopened seven out of 13 state bridges that closed after the storm.
TDOT still has hundreds more bridges to inspect, according to Nagi. Crews plan to prioritize locally owned bridges on Thursday and inspect 102 of them, including 12 that are washed out or currently closed.
Eleven other bridges were shut down or destroyed, including Snapp Bridge, Corby Bridge, the Jackson Bridge and the Taylor Bridge.
The transportation agency said it anticipated the damage to bridges would run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and would result in months of closures.
TDOT executed four construction contracts and four debris removal contracts to get the roads back open. TDOT is also working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to get the roadways back open, according to Nagi.
North Carolina
Reports from North Carolina show that over 400 roads were closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Some areas are isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.
“Many people are cut off because the roads are impassable,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.
Most routes in Asheville are still locked down. The western part of the state was isolated due to landslides and flooding that forced the closure of Interstate 40 and other roads.
In one part of Western North Carolina, the road destruction was so fierce that volunteer Mike Toberer hauled his pack of mules to the region to deliver supplies to people who live in the difficult-to-reach areas of the Appalachians, according to a report by Associated Press.
Florida
Lee County officials called for a major cleanup effort after storm surges flooded parts of the region.
In the state of emergency declaration, officials outlined debris removal, infrastructure repairs and safety measures while monitoring a potential new storm system.
Florida Department of Transportation crews inspected all coastal bridges and deemed them safe. They removed sand and debris from roadways in impacted areas. Crews also addressed damage to traffic signals.
Virginia
The Virginia Department of Forestry had cleared 817 miles of roadways by Sunday, but road closures have added 30 minute- to hour long-detours in the region.
The Shenandoah Valley saw road closures, including five in Albermale County where one road was washed out and will need to be rebuilt. State Route 670 was washed out and State Route 637 was closed due to high water.
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Source: PBS, CNN, WJHL, Storyful, Jalopnik.com, Macon.com, Virginia Mercury
