FLETCHER, N.C. — Interstate 40 near Pigeon River Gorge in Haywood County is expected to partially reopen by New Year’s Day, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

It should make driving into Tennessee from western North Carolina easier.

What You Need To Know

  • I-40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee border is expected to reopen one lane in each direction by New Year’s Day
  • The closure has been affecting transportation companies in western North Carolina
  • The state Department of Transportation doesn’t have a timeline on when the interstate will be fully repaired 

It’s welcome news for many transportation companies that rely on the major artery to ship goods across the country.

Spencer Linn, vice president of East West Inc. in Fletcher, said his family-owned business moves auto parts and other items across the country, mainly northwest to Indianapolis, Chicago and Kansas City.

He says their operation came to a screeching halt when Hurricane Helene passed over the area.

“Cellphone service was almost nonexistent,” Linn said. “There were areas that you’d have service, and then 20 minutes later, the service no longer existed.”

As he frantically tried reaching his drivers to make sure they were OK, Linn slowly began to learn about the hundreds of washed-out roads around him, including a section of I-40 near the Tennessee border.

“You start thinking, ‘What the heck are we going to do?’ Because operational-wise, that’s where 90% to 95% of our trucks take that route every single day,” he said.

Linn said drivers were adding nearly 300 miles round-trip to get around the closure.

“We did about 30% of the revenue, due to all of the businesses being closed, and the week after that we were about 50% to 60% revenue-wise,” Linn said.

In the weeks that followed, roads steadily reopened, including a section of Interstate 26 near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line.

“I-26 being open around the end of October has been a lifeline, because that only adds about 40 to 50 miles,” Linn said. “It adds about 45 minutes to an hour to a driver for the time of their day. So, logistically, that doesn’t affect us too much.”

Linn said the “worst is behind them.”

NCDOT said it plans to reopen one lane in each direction on I-40 near the Tennessee state line by Jan. 1.

“We believe that even when it opens there’s going to be a lot of logistical issues and a lot of delays with it being one lane,” Linn said.

The news is positive, but Linn notes it doesn’t represent a total recovery for his grandfather’s company, founded in the early 1980s.

“This industry is very difficult. Insurance premiums continue to go up, and it’s a thin margin in this market,” Linn said. “A lot of times you just kind of hold on for dear life and hope that you can make it through and your relationships with your customers kind of win out, especially in these situations.”

NCDOT noted even after I-40 is reopened with the two-lane road, it’ll still be an active construction zone with crews working to restabilize the road.

The department doesn’t know when the interstate will be fully repaired.