WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — A stretch of Interstate 40 through the western part of the state is reopening to traffic this weekend, partly restoring the major travel connection with eastern Tennessee months after Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding collapsed parts of the road.

What You Need To Know

  • Interstate 40 connecting North Carolina to Tennessee is set to reopen Saturday 

  • Hurricane Helene damaged a portion of the interstate, closing it for repairs for five months

  • One narrow lane in each direction with reduced speeds will be available

The state Department of Transportation said the 20-mile section on the North Carolina side of the border will reopen Saturday. Flooding in the Pigeon River gorge in Haywood County washed away over one mile of I-40’s eastbound lanes in late September.

Although it was a four-lane road, large portions of the section will operate for now with just one narrowed lane in each direction, with a 35 mph speed limit, according to the department. A concrete curb separates traffic, and periodic breaks provide access to emergency vehicles.

“It’s a big deal,” said staff construction engineer for Division 14 Nathan Tanner. “It’s a big accomplishment. It was a heavy lift.”  

The section was originally set to reopen Jan. 1, but it was delayed after asphalt fell away from an eastbound lane in the gorge.

“Opening it up will provide us a way to transport those goods in and out of North Carolina and allow us to bring some form of tourism back to North Carolina, which will also help local economies,” Tanner said. 

Related: ‘This industry is very difficult’: Trucking company navigates slow I-40 reopening post-Helene

Engineers will monitor the four-mile stretch. 

“We would not open this road if we did not feel confident that it was safe for people to travel it. And we're going to be working every day to get it repaired,” Tanner said. 

The department expects more long-lasting repairs to take up to three years. 

State government has already entered a contract for the road's permanent reconstruction. Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins told state lawmakers this week it would be late 2026 before the section can reopen fully to four lanes, provided that stone can be quarried from the adjoining Pisgah National Forest. Otherwise, he said, it could take two to three additional years, because trucks will have to transport stone from Tennessee.

There is some additional width on the roadway that is an emergency travel lane for first responders, firefighters, local law enforcement and EMS, officials said. 

Gov. Josh Stein announced Feb. 10 that I-40 would reopen by March 1.