Western North Carolina roads are slowly reopening following the devastation from Tropical Storm Helene, but several major thoroughfares remain closed, including Interstate 40.
So far, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has estimated that damages will total up to several billion dollars, state Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins said in a Monday news release. NCDOT has also identified nearly 7,000 sites where roads and bridges are damaged, and a large swath of WNC roads remain limited to essential travel only.
"The damage to our roads and bridges is like nothing we've ever seen after any storm, and this will be a long-term recovery operation," Hopkins said.
Here's the latest on road closures across WNC, including the I-40 reconstruction.
Flooding from Tropical Storm Helene collapsed nearly the entire shoulder of parts of I-40, the third-longest interstate highway in the country.
The highway has been closed between exit 20 in North Carolina and exit 432 in Tennessee due to storm damage. However, as of Monday, the county has reopened sections of I-40 near Old Fort and in downtown Asheville.
NCDOT says the estimated repair time for I-40 is "currently unknown," though it seems early 2025 is the earliest the interstate highway will be fully reopen. On Monday, the agency announced it had signed a $10 million contract with Wright Brothers Construction with incentives to stabilize I-40's westbound lanes to open to some traffic by Jan. 4.
The interstate's proximity to Pigeon River in Tennessee has made repairs especially challenging, NCDOT officials told the Citizen Times. The agency is currently working with Tennessee transportation officials and the Federal Highway Administration on a long-term reconstruction plan for I-40.
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 and provides an alternate route to other areas in North Carolina. If you're traveling from Tennessee to North Carolina, you can head north on I-81 and connect into Interstate 26, which provides an alternate route to Asheville and other areas of the state.
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.
As of Thursday, NCDOT had reported more than 600 road closures due to Helene damage, with at least 100 of them on on interstates, and state and federal highways.
Along with I-40, road closures are in effect on U.S. Highways 64 and 19, as well as North Carolina Highways 215, 226 and 197. I-26 and I-40 are also closed along the North Carolina and Tennessee border, with travel between the states "extremely limited," especially for trucks longer than 30 feet, according to NCDOT.
Most of WNC remains limited to essential travel only. If you must travel, the agency warns people to plan for excessive traffic delays as emergency response teams are operating throughout the area.
You can follow storm-related road closures at drivenc.gov.
There may be closed roads not listed on DriveNC.gov as many areas are not able to report at this time, according to NCDOT.
Though some highway stretches will remain shuttered for months, NCDOT has reopened at least 600 roads across WNC since Helene exited the state, the agency said.
As of Monday, reopened roads include I-26 in Henderson and Polk counties; U.S. Highways 221, 321 and 421 in the Boone area; and U.S. Highways 70 and 25 in Asheville.
Steve Howe contributed to this report.