TDOT rebuilding damaged section of I-40 in Cocke County

COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation has begun work to repair the eastbound shoulder of I-40 in Cocke County.

TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi shared that work was underway to repair the damaged areas. Multiple locations of the shoulder were severely damaged by flooding between mile marker 447 at Harford Road and the Tennessee-North Carolina line.

Currently, TDOT lists the I-40 as closed in both directions from mile marker 440 on the Tennessee side to mile marker 3 on the North Carolina side.

Earlier this week, Governor Bill Lee visited the damaged section of I-40 in Cocke County as he observed the damage left behind by Hurricane Helene. TDOT also previously shared that crews would be working on the road with the goal of opening it in the coming weeks.

Although work is being done to repair I-40 on the Tennessee side of the state line, it is unclear how long it will be until drivers can use I-40 to get back to North Carolina. Following the flooding, 6 News reached out to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to learn more about a section of I-40 that had washed out. Photos posted by the NCDOT show that in one section of I-40 near mile marker 4, portions of the roadway had washed out, with one specific spot washing out up to the concrete divider between the north and southbound lanes.

Along with the repairs happening on I-40, the Tennessee Department of Transportation also shared that it had awarded a contract to rebuild the SR-107 bridge in Greene County and the SR-81 bridge in Washington County . TDOT set a target date for both bridges to reopen to traffic in June 2025.

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