Work begins to restore I-40 through the NC mountains, but timetable still uncertain

The N.C. Department of Transportation has hired contractors to stabilize the surviving two lanes of Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge but says no decision has been made about what to do with them.

It also says there’s still no timetable for reopening the highway that connects North Carolina with Tennessee.

The eastbound lanes of I-40 washed out in several places on both sides of the state line . During a visit to the gorge on Monday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told reporters that work had begun to convert the westbound lanes to two-way traffic while long-term repairs are made.

“We’ll have the road moving in another week or so,” Lee said.

But NCDOT says the North Carolina side isn’t ready. Contractors arrived Tuesday to begin a process called “soil nailing,” essentially driving reinforced steel bars up to 20 feet long into the side of the gorge under the road to keep it from eroding further.

That work will take a few months, said NCDOT spokesman David Uchiyama. In the meantime, NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will determine the best use of the westbound lanes as plans for major repairs come together, Uchiyama said.

“This temporary shoring operation will save the remainder of westbound lanes in sections where eastbound lanes slid into the river gorge,” he said. “Around the time this operation concludes, plans for a larger complex and complete repair will be in progress.”

The $10 million shoring contract has incentives if the contractors — Wright Brothers Construction of Charleston, Tennessee, and Colorado-based GeoStabilization International — can finish the work by Jan. 4.

Engineers are still trying to figure out how to restore the land that once supported the eastbound lanes of I-40.

Historic rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene turned the Pigeon River into a torrent that wore away the earth below the highway. The guardrail and shoulder along the eastbound lanes fell into the river in several places. In some spots, the travel lanes themselves also disappeared.

The westbound lanes remain intact. But in at least one place, all that separates them from the river is the median barrier.

Options for travel between the two states

In North Carolina, I-40 is open as far as Exit 20, the Maggie Valley interchange with U.S. 276. On the Tennessee side, westbound I-40 opens at Exit 447, while eastbound traffic must get off at Exit 440, U.S. 321.

Tennessee DOT has begun converting the westbound lanes of I-40 to two-way traffic around its damaged section of the highway, between the North Carolina line and Exit 447, a distance of about 4 miles, according to spokesman Mark Nagi.

TDOT hopes to finish the conversion by the end of next week, though drivers won’t be able to go beyond the North Carolina state line.

Speaking with reporters, Gov. Lee called the Pigeon River Gorge section of I-40 “incredibly important.” More than 26,000 drivers a day normally use what is the busiest route between the two states.

Meanwhile, an alternate route, Interstate 26, remains closed after floodwaters knocked down twin spans that carried the highway over the Nolichucky River in Erwin, about 40 miles from the North Carolina line. Nagi says there’s no timeline set for rebuilding the bridges and reopening the highway.

For now, NCDOT advises drivers wishing to go west toward Tennessee to take either I-77 north to I-81 near Wytheville, Virginia, toward Knoxville or take U.S. 74 west toward Chattanooga.

NC Reality Check is a continuing series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com