(The Center Square) – Two-lane traffic in both directions of Interstate 40 at the Pigeon River collapse site in North Carolina is expected to begin flowing this weekend, according to multiple published reports.
The major artery from Asheville to Knoxville, Tenn., that runs through eight states ending in California, lost two eastbound lanes during Hurricane Helene. In the 21st week of recovery, as of Wednesday afternoon 154 roads in North Carolina still had closures from the storm.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication of independently gaining confirmation of the reopening from the communications office for the respective division of the Department of Transportation.
David Uchiyama, Transportation Department communications manager for the division responsible for the area, told AccuWeather 90,000 square feet of wall was erected. Traffic will be reduced to 40 mph and delays are expected.
The intracontinental route from Wilmington at the Atlantic Ocean to Barstow, Calif., just over 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean washed out into the Pigeon River about 4 miles from the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
Three weeks ago, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and a number of politicians on the federal and state level were at the site of the reconstruction. Duffy said no emergency project in the last half-century by the Transportation Department has been this costly. At the time, a tentative reopening was forecast for March 1.
Pete Buttigieg, the previous Transportation Department secretary, in October had forecast billions in repair cost and at least a year to reopen. Interstate 26, another key artery from Kingsport, Tenn., to Charleston, S.C., collapsed into the Nolichucky River and was able to reopen in early November.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It was expected to come north to the Appalachian Mountains; however, the rainfall total from its dissipation there exceeded all forecasts.
Some places got more than 30 inches, most were at 24 inches or more. Due to terrain, water often rushed before it pooled and flooded – very unlike the flooding that happens in the coastal plains.
North Carolina’s Transportation Department, on Wednesday, said road closures are still in place on 11 federal highways, 18 maintained by the state, and 124 secondary roads.
