With I-40 closed and 5 bridges ‘completely gone,’ TDOT plans to begin work swiftly

October 1

The Tennessee Department of Transportation plans to move quickly with repairs to infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene, notably the collapsed potion of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina border and the handful of bridges that have washed away.

The storm left 14 state bridges on state routes closed, and five of those are “completely gone,” TDOT Deputy Commissioner Will Reid said during a Sept. 29 news conference. That means not just repairs, but entirely new builds will be necessary to reconnect communities.

TDOT has inspected more than 100 bridges over the course of 36 hours, the department said in a 5:30 p.m. social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Officials still have hundreds more to check.

In Greene County, Reid said, Bridge 107 is compromised, as well as bridges on state routes 340, 350 and 351. Some local bridges in the county are compromised as well.

TDOT wants to begin awarding repair contracts as early as Sept. 30, Reid said.

“We are still in the debris removal and assessment phase,” he said.

Key East Tennessee rivers and dams hit hard by Hurricane Helene flooding

I-40 repair a priority for Tennessee and North Carolina

TDOT is working closely with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to repair Interstate 40 between mile markers 443 and 451 near the Tennessee-North Carolina line.

A mudslide on the North Carolina side resulted in a partial collapse of the highway, NCDOT spokesperson Kelse Edwards said. Photos of the dramatic collapse circulated on social media.

Interstate 40, a major thoroughfare through the Southern Appalachians, is closed in both directions:

I-40 East is closed from mile marker 432 in Tennessee until mile marker 3 in North Carolina.
I-40 West is closed starting at mile marker 3 in North Carolina through mile marker 435 in Tennessee.

Officials from each state were assessing damage on their respective sides of I-40 this weekend but had no timeline for how long it would take to repair the roadway.

Interstate 26 between mile markers 40 and 43 is another major focus, as well as State Route 81 in Unicoi and Washington counties, Reid said.

Allison Kiehl contributed to this story.

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at *****@*****.tld. Follow her on X @AreenaArora and on Instagram @areena_news.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TDOT eyes repairs for I-40 and bridges after Hurricane Helene flooding

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