I-40 in North Carolina to reopen to two-way traffic by January 1, officials say

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says that I-40 will reopen to two-way traffic by the first day of 2025.

On November 5, NCDOT issued a statement on the plans for reopening I-40 through Pigeon River Gorge after several weeks of closure due to catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene, when four swaths of eastbound I-40 were washed away.

Officials say that a contractor stabilization project on the westbound lanes of I-40 in the gorge should provide enough room for vehicles to travel at 40 m.p.h. on one lane in each direction over a 9-mile stretch of the gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina.

This would allow NCDOT to reopen westbound I-40 to two-way traffic by January 1, 2025. It will also allow another contractor to conduct long-term repairs to the roadway “over the coming years.”

“We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” NCDOT’s Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.”

“Opening one lane in both directions reestablishes critical connectivity for the transport of goods and services to and through mountains,” Payne said. “Like many things in our area, it will not be like it was for a long time, but it will be better than we’ve had in recent weeks.”

NCDOT says that long-term reconstruction plans for I-40 are still in early development.

See NCDOT photos of the I-40 damage in the post below.