Fallen tree branch halts bypass traffic Friday morning

Traffic through the heart of Waynesville came to a stop on Friday morning when a tree branch landed across the middle of the bypass.

The branch came down and blocked the westbound lanes of U.S. 23/74 about a mile before Exit 100 shortly before 11 a.m.

"As far as I could tell, it split up at the top of the tree. The big branch that was leaning over the bypass fell and blocked both lanes," said Waynesville Fire Lt. Jason Webb.

The branch hit a Jeep on the way down, but Webb wasn't sure how badly the vehicle was damaged.

Firefighters were quickly on scene to deal with the debris. About an hour after the branch hit the road, they were able to clear one lane and get traffic moving while NCDOT finished clearing the scene.

The closure caused significant traffic backups as folks were stuck waiting behind the blockade of branches.

"When I pulled up, it was already backing up coming around the curve," Webb said.

Adding to problems was the fact that the ramp to get off the bypass and on to Russ Avenue at Exit 102 is closed for construction, so once folks passed Exit 103 for Lake Junaluska, they were just stuck in the traffic.

Additionally, traffic seemed to back up on to South Main Street as folks attempted to circumvent the closed bypass.

Shortly after noon, the bypass fully reopened after NCDOT crews finished the cleanup.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 8:21 PM.