A section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina that collapsed during Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding will reopen to traffic on March 1, Gov. Josh Stein announced on Monday while visiting the roadway's shuttered portion and meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The primary road connection between North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was severed in late September as flooding in the Pigeon River gorge washed away over 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of I-40’s eastbound lanes. An effort to reopen a 20-mile (32-kilometer) stretch in early January got held up when more asphalt from eastbound lanes fell in mid-December. The department attributed the December slide to wet weather and freeze-thaw conditions.
