I-40 in North Carolina

[Strider]

The Asheville Watchdog had a lengthy opinion column today about I-40 through the WNC mountains.

He also included and featured a bit of my history that I wrote last fall.

https://avlwatchdog.org/opinion-locating-i-40-through-the-pigeon-river-gorge-was-a-bad-idea-but-were-stuck-with-it/

Another opinion article. Yawn. But exactly what the title says. We're stuck with it. That says it all.

[sprjus4]

The Asheville Watchdog had a lengthy opinion column today about I-40 through the WNC mountains.

He also included and featured a bit of my history that I wrote last fall.

https://avlwatchdog.org/opinion-locating-i-40-through-the-pigeon-river-gorge-was-a-bad-idea-but-were-stuck-with-it/

Another opinion article. Yawn.

Did you even read the article?

[The Ghostbuster]

It seems like a no-win situation.

[Beltway]

They are not "stuck with it" -- TDOT and NCDOT need to start thinking toward the future.

The relocations that I have proposed would be 10 to 20 miles in length. Should be doable for less than $100 million per mile.

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Here's the latest on the I-40 closure and reconstruction through the Pigeon River Gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee.

How many months closed?
+ The highway was destroyed by Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024, and reopened to restricted traffic on March 1, 2025.
+ That's a five-month full closure, during which no through traffic was allowed across the state line.

How many months until both roadways are open?
+ As of now, only one lane in each direction is open, with narrow shoulders, no emergency pull-offs, and speed limits of 35–40 mph.
+ Full restoration is expected to take 2 to 3 years, meaning both roadways may not be fully open until 2027 or 2028.
+ NCDOT says they're only 10–15% into the design phase for permanent reconstruction.

Latest cost estimate
+ The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion.
+ In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation released $352.6 million in emergency relief funds, including:
+ $250 million for North Carolina DOT (I-40 repairs)
+ $70 million for Tennessee DOT (I-40 and I-26 repairs)

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-12-20-i-40-gorge-delay.aspx
https://www.ncdot.gov/helene-recovery/Pages/helene-repairs.aspx


The I-26 route is an emergency detour, and it has its own severe problems from the same storm event.

As of late October 2024, Interstate 26 in Unicoi County, Tennessee has been partially reopened following extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. Here's the current status:

Reopening Details
+ One lane in each direction is open between mile markers 39 and 40, using the westbound bridge with a temporary fix.
+ The eastbound bridge is still under repair; once complete, traffic will shift to allow permanent repairs on the westbound side.
+ Oversized loads (over 12 feet wide) are not permitted due to the shared bridge configuration.
+ Exit 40 (Jackson Love Highway) remains closed, though entrance ramps are open.

Ongoing work -- TDOT is actively working to restore full capacity, with hopes of reconnecting the entire corridor within 30 to 45 days from mid-October 2025. Until then, commercial traffic is being rerouted via I-81 and I-77.

https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2024/10/1/tdot-storm-damage-update.html

[Strider]

They are not "stuck with it" -- TDOT and NCDOT need to start thinking toward the future.

The relocations that I have proposed would be 10 to 20 miles in length. Should be doable for less than $100 million per mile.

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Here's the latest on the I-40 closure and reconstruction through the Pigeon River Gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee.

How many months closed?
+ The highway was destroyed by Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024, and reopened to restricted traffic on March 1, 2025.
+ That's a five-month full closure, during which no through traffic was allowed across the state line.

How many months until both roadways are open?
+ As of now, only one lane in each direction is open, with narrow shoulders, no emergency pull-offs, and speed limits of 35–40 mph.
+ Full restoration is expected to take 2 to 3 years, meaning both roadways may not be fully open until 2027 or 2028.
+ NCDOT says they're only 10–15% into the design phase for permanent reconstruction.

Latest cost estimate
+ The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion.
+ In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation released $352.6 million in emergency relief funds, including:
+ $250 million for North Carolina DOT (I-40 repairs)
+ $70 million for Tennessee DOT (I-40 and I-26 repairs)

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-12-20-i-40-gorge-delay.aspx
https://www.ncdot.gov/helene-recovery/Pages/helene-repairs.aspx


The I-26 route is an emergency detour, and it has its own severe problems from the same storm event.

As of late October 2024, Interstate 26 in Unicoi County, Tennessee has been partially reopened following extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. Here's the current status:

Reopening Details
+ One lane in each direction is open between mile markers 39 and 40, using the westbound bridge with a temporary fix.
+ The eastbound bridge is still under repair; once complete, traffic will shift to allow permanent repairs on the westbound side.
+ Oversized loads (over 12 feet wide) are not permitted due to the shared bridge configuration.
+ Exit 40 (Jackson Love Highway) remains closed, though entrance ramps are open.

Ongoing work -- TDOT is actively working to restore full capacity, with hopes of reconnecting the entire corridor within 30 to 45 days from mid-October 2025. Until then, commercial traffic is being rerouted via I-81 and I-77.

https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2024/10/1/tdot-storm-damage-update.html

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

[Strider]

The Asheville Watchdog had a lengthy opinion column today about I-40 through the WNC mountains.

He also included and featured a bit of my history that I wrote last fall.

https://avlwatchdog.org/opinion-locating-i-40-through-the-pigeon-river-gorge-was-a-bad-idea-but-were-stuck-with-it/

Another opinion article. Yawn.

Did you even read the article?

Yeah I did, otherwise I wouldn't have responded. I stand with my comment regardless.

[Beltway]

Latest cost estimate
+ The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion.
+ In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation released $352.6 million in emergency relief funds, including:
+ $250 million for North Carolina DOT (I-40 repairs)
+ $70 million for Tennessee DOT (I-40 and I-26 repairs)

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

How about people that live in Tennessee?

[sprjus4]

They are not "stuck with it" -- TDOT and NCDOT need to start thinking toward the future.

The relocations that I have proposed would be 10 to 20 miles in length. Should be doable for less than $100 million per mile.

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Here's the latest on the I-40 closure and reconstruction through the Pigeon River Gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee.

How many months closed?
+ The highway was destroyed by Hurricane Helene on September 28, 2024, and reopened to restricted traffic on March 1, 2025.
+ That's a five-month full closure, during which no through traffic was allowed across the state line.

How many months until both roadways are open?
+ As of now, only one lane in each direction is open, with narrow shoulders, no emergency pull-offs, and speed limits of 35–40 mph.
+ Full restoration is expected to take 2 to 3 years, meaning both roadways may not be fully open until 2027 or 2028.
+ NCDOT says they're only 10–15% into the design phase for permanent reconstruction.

Latest cost estimate
+ The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion.
+ In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation released $352.6 million in emergency relief funds, including:
+ $250 million for North Carolina DOT (I-40 repairs)
+ $70 million for Tennessee DOT (I-40 and I-26 repairs)

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-12-20-i-40-gorge-delay.aspx
https://www.ncdot.gov/helene-recovery/Pages/helene-repairs.aspx


The I-26 route is an emergency detour, and it has its own severe problems from the same storm event.

As of late October 2024, Interstate 26 in Unicoi County, Tennessee has been partially reopened following extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. Here's the current status:

Reopening Details
+ One lane in each direction is open between mile markers 39 and 40, using the westbound bridge with a temporary fix.
+ The eastbound bridge is still under repair; once complete, traffic will shift to allow permanent repairs on the westbound side.
+ Oversized loads (over 12 feet wide) are not permitted due to the shared bridge configuration.
+ Exit 40 (Jackson Love Highway) remains closed, though entrance ramps are open.

Ongoing work -- TDOT is actively working to restore full capacity, with hopes of reconnecting the entire corridor within 30 to 45 days from mid-October 2025. Until then, commercial traffic is being rerouted via I-81 and I-77.

https://www.tn.gov/tdot/news/2024/10/1/tdot-storm-damage-update.html

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

And still commenting nonetheless.

[Beltway]

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

And still commenting nonetheless.

So you have to live in N.C. to validly comment on something that is costing the federal government $1 billion in emergency funds to fix?

And on possible long term solutions?

[sprjus4]

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

And still commenting nonetheless.

So you have to live in N.C. to validly comment on something that is costing the federal government $1 billion in emergency funds to fix?

And on possible long term solutions?

No, I agree with what you're saying.

I'm pointing out Strider is still commenting despite saying "moving on".

[Beltway]

The total cost to fully rebuild I-40 through the gorge is projected to exceed $1 billion. Plus enormous disruption by the current situation. The current alignment is a wasting asset.

Even with this long post, you still don't get the memo. And you don't live in NC. Moving on.

And still commenting nonetheless.

So you have to live in N.C. to validly comment on something that is costing the federal government $1 billion in emergency funds to fix?
And on possible long term solutions?

No, I agree with what you're saying.
I'm pointing out Strider is still commenting despite saying "moving on".

Oh OK .. I must have misinterpreted what you said.