I-40 reopens between NC and Tennessee, 9 days after flooding, landslides
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- I-40 reopened after 9-day closure from flooding and landslides near NC and Tennessee line
- Temporary two-way traffic can now flow on westbound lanes through Pigeon River Gorge.
- Contractors plan 3-year rebuild of eastbound lanes damaged by Helene flooding.
Interstate 40 reopened between North Carolina and Tennessee on Friday, nine days after flooding and landslides forced the Tennessee Department of Transportation to shut it down.
The highway was closed through the Pigeon River Gorge on the evening of June 18 when strong thunderstorms covered the road with water, earth and stone just inside Tennessee.
Contractors have been working since then to clear the pavement and place new barriers between the road and the mountain side.
I-40 is still restricted to one lane in each direction for about 9 miles on either side of the state line, as it has been since February.
The remnants of Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding along the Pigeon River last fall, washing away several sections of the eastbound lanes. The North Carolina and Tennessee transportation departments converted the surviving westbound lanes to two-way traffic, separated by a low concrete median and plastic bollards. The speed limit on the North Carolina side is 35 mph.
The two-way traffic likely will remain for three years as contractors work to re-establish the roadbed and rebuild the eastbound lanes.
As late as this week, Tennessee transportation officials said they hoped to have the highway reopened in time for July 4th weekend. There’s still some work to be done alongside the highway, said TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi, but contractors were able to reopen the road to traffic sooner than expected.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM.
