(The Center Square) – Interstate 40 in western North Carolina, the 20 miles in both directions nearest the Tennessee border, has reopened following a closure this month from flooding and a rockslide.
In social media posts by the respective Transportation Departments of both states, North Carolina and Tennessee shared the news with travelers and residents just after noon on Friday. The news comes as the official travel period of Saturday through July 6 is about to commence.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation wrote, “I-40 is open to traffic! Crews worked hard to clean up debris from four different areas along I-40 near the TN/NC border, as well as repair the on- and off-ramps at the Waterville exit, after last week’s flooding and slides.”
Two weeks for repair were projected.
The interstate has just one lane of travel in each direction with a lowered speed limit. Oversized loads are not allowed.
The restriction is similar to the weeks after Hurricane Helene.
Work will continue to get all four lanes open.
