Old North News

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins have announced the reopening of two lanes on Interstate 40 by March 1, as recovery efforts continue following Hurricane Helene. Speaking from a section of the closed interstate, Stein expressed satisfaction with the progress made, stating, “I am pleased to announce that we will reopen two lanes of I-40 by March 1.” He praised the dedication of NCDOT and road workers for their tireless efforts in restoring connectivity between North Carolina and Tennessee.

The reopening is expected to aid economic recovery by welcoming back visitors. Over the coming weeks, NCDOT and its partners will finalize stabilization work on the westbound lanes, install speed limit signs, a curb to separate travel lanes, and conduct safety inspections. One lane will be open in each direction between Exit 20 and Exit 15 for non-Hurricane Helene construction and again from Exit 7 to the state line into Tennessee. This stretch will accommodate standard-sized trucks but not oversized loads.

On Monday, Stein and Hopkins met with officials at a major slope failure site within the corridor. Among those present were U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, U.S. Representatives Tim Moore and Chuck Edwards, and USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy. The collaboration aims to support western North Carolina's recovery from what is considered the most damaging natural disaster in state history.

Stein remarked on his meeting with Secretary Duffy: “As I welcomed Secretary Duffy to North Carolina today to show him the devastating impact Hurricane Helene had on our roads, I expressed my appreciation for U.S. DOT’s partnership.” He highlighted ongoing infrastructure needs amounting to billions of dollars.

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage when it struck on September 28, leading to sections of eastbound lanes collapsing into the Pigeon River. In response, NCDOT swiftly devised a plan for partial traffic restoration.

Wright Brothers Construction was hired as the prime contractor alongside GeoStabilization Inc., which served as sub-contractor for soil-nail wall installations at ten locations within the Gorge over a span of 126 days. The project involved substantial materials including shotcrete, soil nails, steel curbs, fortified shoulders for heavy truck traffic, and extensive soil-nail walls.

Efforts are now shifting towards permanent reconstruction with Ames Construction taking charge as prime contractor under an October-awarded contract; RK&K serves as designer while HNTB manages projects.

Hopkins commented on upcoming plans: “We’re happy that we can open I-40 in a couple of weeks... And we’ll continue working on the rest of the routes until we get those built too – we're here to the end.”