Published Thu, Feb 02, 2012 06:07 AM
Modified Tue, May 22, 2012 05:01 AM

I-40 landslide forces long detour until Monday

Article

Michael Patrick - AP

Transportation officials work at the scene of a mud and rock slide blocking the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 near Newport, Tenn. Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman B.J. Doughty said geotechnical personnel were checking the gorge walls' stability.

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BY AMANDA JAMES - ajames@newsobserver.com

Westbound Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border will be closed until Monday after a rock slide in Tennessee.

The westbound lanes will be closed at exit 20 near Cove Creek, N.C., according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Eastbound lanes will be unaffected.

The NCDOT recommends that motorists traveling west toward Tennessee take I-240 West in Asheville to I-26 West, then follow I-26 West to I-81 South in Tennessee back to I-40. The detour route is 53 miles longer and an additional 45 minutes to an hour driving time.

The detour is expected to cause increased traffic in Asheville.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation had expected the road to remain closed until Feb. 14. But today, the department announced that it had hired a contractor to stabilize the area of the slide and that it expected to reopen the road by Monday, weather permitting.

The rock slide occurred in Cocke County near mile marker 451 in Tennessee, about one mile from the border, according to the NCDOT.

I-40 follows the Pigeon River Gorge for several miles as it crosses the North Carolina-Tennessee border, and gorge walls are prone to rock slides. A slide on the North Carolina side of the border in October 2009 closed the interstate in both directions for six months.

James: 919-829-4870

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