Traffic will be restored in both directions on damaged portions of Interstates 26 and 40 in the coming weeks, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Oct. 17 in a joint appearance with Tennessee transportation leaders near the spot Interstate 40 fell into the Pigeon River.
During his visit, Buttigieg surveyed the damage Hurricane Helene inflicted on Tennessee and North Carolina roads.
"One of the things I've tried to reconcile in my head is the shocking devastation alongside the incredible natural beauty of this region," he said at a press conference.
In contrast to the problems caused by the closures of Interstate 26 and 40 since the Sept. 27 storm, Buttigieg and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner Butch Eley brought the good news that traffic will be restored on the interstates "in the coming days and weeks ahead," Eley said.
The fix will be temporary, though, with a lane in each direction. Full restoration will be "many months away."
"We're taking everything we can offer by way of funding, by way of technical assistance and by way of any regulatory relief that is needed to try to speed that process up," Buttigieg said. The federal government is chipping in $32 million in emergency highway aid for Tennessee to fast-track the repairs.
"That's the beginning, not the end, of our emergency relief funding for this process," Buttigieg said. "We've got our federal highway administration team working side-by-side with TDOT to make sure that they get any other support they need."
In addition to the $32 million in federal emergency highway aid given to Tennessee, Western North Carolina, which was devastated by the floods, received $100 million in emergency highway aid and South Carolina received $2 million.
"Our job is to do everything we can to accelerate road repairs because we know that so many families depend on that economy that revolves around the natural beauty of the visitors crossing," Buttigieg said.
Source: Knoxnews.com, Wate.com
