List Your Equipment For Free  /  Seller Login

NCDOT's Plan to Reopen Storm-Damaged Interstate 40 By Jan. 1 Hit Snag

NCDOT's extensive efforts to repair storm-damaged roads in NC mountains faced setbacks, including new damage on I-40 delaying reopening. Contractors are working on stabilization efforts, aiming to create temporary lanes for safe passage until permanent reconstruction plans are developed. Other mountain highways also receive attention for rebuilding and restoration.

Wed January 22, 2025 - Southeast Edition #3
CEG


A new slope failure has delayed reopening Interstate 40.
Photo courtesy of NCDOT
A new slope failure has delayed reopening Interstate 40.

Since Hurricane Helene devastated parts of western North Carolina in late September, the response from the state's Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has been relentless.

Agency crews have worked hundreds of thousands of hours to help North Carolina's mountainous region recover from the most destructive storm in state history. Everyone in the department, from every county in the state, has assisted or sacrificed in some way to help western North Carolina, NCDOT said in a Jan. 8 news release.

"It's been a major team effort, and teamwork is one of the most important organizational values we have at NCDOT," explained Division 11 Engineer Michael Poe. "I can't think of a better example of this value than the way our folks have responded to this disaster."

The magnitude of the destruction was staggering — more than 9,200 damage sites, and more than 1,400 roads closed since the storm roared through the state on Sept. 26-27.

Now, more than 100 days later, due to the efforts of NCDOT employees, leadership, contract partners and crews from other states, those numbers and those roads look drastically different. More than 85 percent of the roads have reopened and only about 185 roadway sections remain closed.

Additional Collapse On I-40 Causes Setback

By far the highest profile highway that sustained severe damage as a result of Helene was Interstate 40 in the far western portion of North Carolina, near the Tennessee border. The roadway is one of America's key transportation arteries, moving people and freight from coast to coast and to all points in between.

However, the I-40 roadway in North Carolina's Haywood County was built in an extremely rugged part of the mountains, with the Pigeon River on one side and high rockfaces on the other.

Flooding from the remnants of Helene turned the river into a raging torrent after the storm dumped almost 2 ft. of rain in the area, following several days of precipitation from a previous rain event. Together, the floodwaters from the two storms ate away the I-40 roadbed, causing the partial collapse of the highway in several places. The two eastbound lanes were washed away, and a landslide also crashed onto part of the freeway.

After surveying the damaged road, NCDOT engineers and contractors initially focused on reopening the interstate by Jan. 1, 2025. Work progressed apace toward that goal until a few days before Christmas when an additional chunk of asphalt fell away from an eastbound lane of I-40 in the gorge, putting the interstate's reconstruction further behind.

According to NCDOT, the new damage will keep the highway closed until transportation and geotechnical engineers deem the area safe for drivers to be in a narrow, two-lane pattern in the gorge.

"It is an unfortunate situation," explained NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne. "It's a new hurdle that we have to overcome in order to provide a safe facility for the travelling public."

Wet weather and freeze-thaw conditions both contributed to the latest slide on I-40, she added.

Geotechnical engineers were quickly onsite to determine a solution to stabilize the new location. It will include using additional soil nails similar to those at 10 other damaged locations along the highway in Haywood County. Experts will continue to monitor the location as NCDOT works through the winter season and will recommend additional stabilization if necessary.

Wright Brothers Construction, located in Charleston, Tenn., along with Colorado-based GeoStabilization International, a subcontractor expert at rockfall mitigation, was awarded the $8.5 million contract to stabilize the eastbound lanes and create a safe passage for one lane in each direction from Harmon Den to the state line.

After the latest collapse, NCDOT staff worked with Wright Brothers Construction on a supplemental agreement for the new repairs. Terms of the deal were not announced.

PBS North Carolina reported that the contractors are stabilizing over a mile of I-40 by driving long steel nails, which resemble rods, into the bedrock below the road. The nails are spaced close together and filled with grout that adheres the rods to the rock. Concrete is then sprayed on the cliff face to hold them in place and create a solid wall to prevent against landslides.

In a news release, NCDOT engineers explained that the process also will stabilize the roadway and provide space for vehicles to travel at 40 mph in one lane in each direction over 9 mi. of the Pigeon River Gorge. The road will be narrow, roughly 11 ft. wide, which is about a foot narrower than the federal interstate standard and accounts for the lower speed limit.

NCDOT hopes the road can be opened as soon as possible. However, the timing depends on when contractors can fix the December collapse, as well as finish stabilizing the protection wall, and install a concrete barrier down the middle of the road.

"We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration," according to Payne. "We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through."

Long-term reconstruction plans for fixing the damaged portion of I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge are still being developed.

NCDOT has hired RK&K in Baltimore as the project's engineering/design firm; Minnesota-based Ames Construction, which has a Charlotte office, as the heavy civil contractor; and HNTB as the project manager through the nationwide company's Charlotte location.

NCDOT has not announced a timeframe for the selection of a design, a date for the start of construction, or a general estimate of the cost.

"Everybody has been coming up with ideas and all good solutions are still on the table," Payne noted. "We will collaboratively choose the best long-term solution."

Crews Brave Winter Weather to Rebuild Other Mountain Highways

In other parts of the North Carolina mountains, efforts also are ongoing by NCDOT to restore the obliterated U.S. Highway 64/74A corridor beside the Rocky Broad River through the communities of Bat Cave and Chimney Rock in Henderson and Rutherford counties. In addition, crews are fixing two heavily-damaged roadways, U.S. 19W and U.S. 197, that were flooded by the Cane and Nolichucky rivers in Yancey County following the hurricane's rampage through that area.

NCDOT and its contractors have constructed a temporary road between Bat Cave and Chimney Rock that serves local residents, provides emergency access, and will be utilized as contractors rebuild new road from bedrock, the agency said.

In Yancey County, gravel roads have been established creating connections to every community, and Division 13 engineers are developing contracts for each of the highways that require rebuilding.

"I believe in our folks, and I believe in their character, honor, and the wherewithal to get things done," Payne said in NCDOT's Jan. 8 news release. "In the next few months, we will see a lot of activity that will finish what we've accomplished thus far and move into areas where we've not been able to move from temporary to permanent access."




Today's top stories

Turner, Walsh Collaborate to Construct New Ryan Field

Alex Lyon & Son's 11-Day Sale in Bushnell, Fla., Marks Company's 32nd Annual Florida Auction

Longto Tree Service Lays Strong Foundation for Successful Business

Cincinnati's I-471 Bridge Reopens Exactly 100 Days After Fire

Skanska Brings Engineering Muscle to Manage Bridge Jobs in Bay State

Volvo Construction Equipment Unveils New Lineup of Articulated Haulers

Baltimore's Collapsed Key Bridge Set to Be Replaced By a Soaring Cable-Stayed Span

N.Y.'s I-81 Corridor Work Promises to Be Very Heavy During 2025