Traffic may be flowing in both directions on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee — albeit at slower than normal speeds — by New Year’s Day.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said it anticipates a contractor completing a stabilization project securing the westbound lanes of I-40 in the gorge by the end of this year.
The Pigeon River washed away the interstate’s eastbound lanes in four sections during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in late September. The completion of the stabilization project will provide enough space for vehicles to travel at 40 mph on one lane in each direction over a 9-mile stretch of the gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina, according to NCDOT.
This configuration will also provide another contractor enough room to safely complete long-term repairs 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 good and services to and through mountains. 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."
