Yesterday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced that Interstate 40 will reopen between Tennessee and North Carolina in just a few weeks.
Two-way, one-lane traffic will once again be able to pass through the gorge, a stretch of road along the state line that suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Helene in September.
"The good news is thanks to the great work of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the help of the federal government, we expect traffic — two-way — to resume on March 1," North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said during a Feb. 10 press conference.
The reopening has required the installation of "soil nails" that pin the westbound lanes to the side of the gorge. More than 2,088 feet of soil nails along 10 sites had been washed out along the road.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has also installed 15,200 pounds of steel to reinforce the I-40 shoulder, according to David Uchiyama, spokesperson for NCDOT. This will better support the interstate's heavy truck traffic.
The stabilization is vital for I-40 to reopen but is just a fraction of the construction process to completely rebuild the highway segment.
NCDOT and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) are working together. Tennessee will open its side of the highway at I-40 mile marker 451 to the state line once North Carolina is "ready to handle traffic again," according to TDOT spokesperson Drew Rutherford.
Source: The Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Raleigh News & Observer
